B&O Railroad Launches: America's Passenger Era Begins
The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad inaugurated passenger service on May 24, 1830, using horse-drawn cars on a 13-mile stretch of track between Baltimore and Ellicott's Mills (now Ellicott City), Maryland. The B&O had been chartered in 1827 as the first railroad in America designed to carry both freight and passengers. The famous race between the Tom Thumb locomotive and a horse-drawn car on August 28, 1830, ended with the horse winning after the locomotive's belt slipped, but it demonstrated that steam power was viable. By 1832, the B&O had replaced horses with locomotives entirely. The railroad eventually extended to Wheeling, West Virginia, and connected to Chicago. The B&O was absorbed into CSX Transportation in 1987 but remains one of the most historically significant railroads in American history.
May 23, 1830
196 years ago
Key Figures & Places
What Else Happened on May 23
Outnumbered Asturian forces reportedly received supernatural aid from Saint James the Greater at Clavijo, rallying to defeat the Emir of Cordoba's army. Whether…
Burgundian soldiers pulled Joan of Arc from her horse outside the walls of Compiègne, ending her military campaign against the English. Her capture handed the F…
Burgundian forces captured Joan of Arc during a sortie outside the besieged city of Compiegne on May 23, 1430. Joan was unhorsed and pulled from her mount by an…
Florence executed the radical friar Girolamo Savonarola by hanging and burning him in the Piazza della Signoria. His death silenced the primary critic of the Me…
Archbishop Thomas Cranmer declared Henry VIII’s marriage to Catherine of Aragon null and void, ending the King’s first union. This ecclesiastical ruling severed…
The Netherlands formally declared independence from the Spanish crown, triggering the Eighty Years' War. This defiance dismantled the absolute authority of the …
Talk to History
Have a conversation with historical figures who witnessed this era. Ask questions, explore perspectives, and bring history to life.