B&O Begins Regular Passenger Service

On August 28, 1830, the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad inaugurated regular passenger operations between Baltimore and Ellicott's Mills, Maryland, with Peter Cooper's experimental Tom Thumb locomotive demonstrating the viability of steam traction on American rails. This event overcame skepticism about steam engines on curved tracks and steep grades, spurring rapid network growth that linked eastern ports to the Midwest and fueled industrial expansion during the antebellum era.