A steamboat is a boat powered by a steam engine rather than sails, oars, or modern diesel engines. The steam engine burns fuel (usually coal or wood) to heat water until it turns into steam, and that steam's pressure drives machinery that turns large paddle wheels or propellers to push the boat through the water.

Steamboats revolutionized American river travel in the 1800s. Before steamboats, cargo and passengers moved slowly along rivers like the Mississippi and Ohio on flatboats that could only drift downstream, or on sailboats that depended on favorable winds. Steamboats changed everything: they could travel upstream against the current, follow predictable schedules, and carry massive loads of cotton, grain, and manufactured goods. Mark Twain worked as a steamboat pilot on the Mississippi and later wrote about the excitement and danger of navigating these powerful vessels through tricky river currents.

The most recognizable steamboats featured huge paddle wheels on their sides or stern, sometimes two or three decks stacked high, and tall smokestacks billowing smoke. While ocean-going steamships eventually replaced sailing vessels for long-distance travel, steamboats specifically dominated river transportation until railroads expanded across America. Today, you can still ride replica steamboats in places like New Orleans, complete with their distinctive whistles and churning paddle wheels.