On February 1, 1788 Isaac Briggs[?] and William Longstreet[?] patented the steamboat. But Robert Fulton patented a modified design for a steamboat on February 11, 1809. Fulton's design was a commercial success.
The first regular steamboat service from the west to the east coast of the United States began on February 28, 1849 with the arrival of the SS California[?] in San Francisco Bay. The California left New York Harbor[?] on October 6, 1848, rounded Cape Horn at the tip of South America, and arrived at San Francisco, California after the 4 month 21 day journey.