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Events on Thursday 24 December 1801 1
1801Richard Trevithick demonstrates a steam road carriagePuffing Devil carries passengers under its own steam powerOn 24 December 1801 engineer Richard Trevithick demonstrated his steam-powered road vehicle, nicknamed the Puffing Devil, in Camborne, Cornwall. It is considered one of the earliest demonstrations of a self-propelled, passenger-carrying steam vehicle. The trial marked an early step toward the development of the steam locomotive.