Inventor Robert Fulton was born in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, on November 14, 1765. While his early education was limited, he displayed considerable artistic talent and inventiveness. At the age of 17, he moved to Philadelphia, where he established himself as a painter. Advised to go abroad because of ill health, he moved to London in 1786. Eventually his lifelong interest in scientific and engineering developments, especially in the application of steam engines, supplanted his interest in art.