On Christmas Eve in 1801 Richard Trevithick demonstrated his "Puffing Devil" , a high pressure steam engine which was for the first time mounted on wheels and self propelled. This was the first ever successful passenger carrying road vehicle ie the first car. Sadly a few days later on another trial it toppled over on the then uneven roads,after being righted and moved to the stable of the nearest tavern it blew up and destroyed itself and the stable-- no one had extinguished the boiler!!!

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