Richard Trevithick (13 April 1771 – 22 April 1833) was a British inventor and
mining engineer from
Cornwall, England. Born in the mining heartland of Cornwall, Trevithick was immersed in mining and engineering from an early age. The son of a mining captain, he performed poorly in school, but went on to be an early pioneer of
steam-powered road and rail transport. His most significant contribution was the development of the first high-pressure
steam engine. He also built the first full-scale working railway
steam locomotive. On 21 February 1804 the world's first locomotive-hauled railway journey took place as Trevithick's unnamed steam locomotive hauled a train along the
tramway of the
Penydarren Ironworks, in
Merthyr Tydfil, Wales.