On This Day

The locomotive "John Bull" operates for the first time in New Jersey on the Camden and Amboy Railroad

John Bull is a historic British-built railroad steam locomotive that operated in the United States.

John Bull is a historic British-built railroad steam locomotive that operated in the United States. It was operated for the first time on September 15, 1831, and became the oldest operable steam locomotive in the world when the Smithsonian Institution ran it under its own steam in 1981. Built by Robert Stephenson and Company, it was initially purchased by and operated for the Camden and Amboy Railroad, the first railroad in New Jersey, which gave it the number 1 and its first name, "Stevens". (Robert L. Stevens was president of the Camden and Amboy Railroad at the time.) The C&A used it heavily from 1833 until 1866, when it was removed from active service and placed in storage.

Historical Significance

John Bull is a historic British-built railroad steam locomotive that operated in the United States.

Events Before

  1. The Republic of Ecuador is founded with Juan José Flores as president

    Ecuador, officially the Republic of Ecuador, is a country in northwestern South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and the Pacific Ocean on the west.

  2. US President Andrew Jackson signs the Indian Removal Act, a key law leading to the forced removal of the Cherokee, Chick

    US President Andrew Jackson signs the Indian Removal Act, a key law leading to the forced removal of the Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Creek, and Seminole tribes out of Georgia and surrounding states, setting the stage for the Cherokee Trail of Tears

  3. Beginning of French colonization of Algeria: 34,000 French soldiers land 27 kilometers west of Algiers at Sidi Ferruch

    Beginning of French colonization of Algeria: 34,000 French soldiers land 27 kilometers west of Algiers at Sidi Ferruch

  4. The first American-built locomotive, "Tom Thumb," races a horse-drawn car from the Stockton and Stokes stagecoach compan

    The first American-built locomotive, "Tom Thumb," races a horse-drawn car from the Stockton and Stokes stagecoach company from Baltimore to Ellicott Mills; due to mechanical problems, the horse wins!

  5. Princess Marianne of the Netherlands (20) marries her cousin Prince Albert of Prussia (20) (marriage dissolved 1849)

    Princess Marianne of the Netherlands (20) marries her cousin Prince Albert of Prussia (20) (marriage dissolved 1849)

Events After

  1. Romantic ballet "La Sylphide" by Filippo Taglioni premieres at the Opéra de Paris

    Romantic ballet "La Sylphide" by Filippo Taglioni premieres at the Opéra de Paris

  2. British Parliament, led by Charles Grey, passes the Reform Act, introducing wide-ranging changes to the electoral system

    British Parliament, led by Charles Grey, passes the Reform Act, introducing wide-ranging changes to the electoral system of England and Wales, increasing the electorate from about 500,000 voters to 813,000

  3. Felix Mendelssohn's concert overture "Hebrides" premieres in London, England

    The Hebrides (German: Die Hebriden) is a concert overture that was composed by Felix Mendelssohn in 1830, revised in 1832, and published the next year as Mendelssohn's Op. 26.

  4. First US Democratic National Convention is held in Baltimore

    The 1832 Democratic National Convention was held from May 21 to May 23, 1832, in Baltimore, Maryland.

  5. Source of Mississippi River discovered by American geographer Henry Schoolcraft

    Henry Rowe Schoolcraft (March 28, 1793 – December 10, 1864) was an American geographer, geologist, and ethnologist, noted for his early studies of Native American cultures, as well as for his 1832...

More from the 1830s

Frequently Asked Questions

What happened on September 15, 1831?
John Bull is a historic British-built railroad steam locomotive that operated in the United States. It was operated for the first time on September 15, 1831, and became the oldest operable steam locomotive in the world when the Smithsonian Institution ran it under its own steam in 1981. Built by Robert Stephenson and Company, it was initially purchased by and operated for the Camden and Amboy Railroad, the first railroad in New Jersey, which gave it the number 1 and its first name, "Stevens".
Why is The locomotive "John Bull" operates for the first time in New Jersey on the C... significant?
John Bull is a historic British-built railroad steam locomotive that operated in the United States.

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