to the Petersburg Railroad in Weldon. Flight May 24, 1832 – Francois Arban, early French balloonist makes his 1st ascent. Automobile 1834 – Thomas Davenport, the inventor of the first American DC electrical motor, installs his motor in a small model car, creating one of the first electric cars. Steamships August 18, 1833 – The Canadian ship SS Royal William sets out from Pictou, Nova Scotia, on a 25-day passage of the Atlantic Ocean largely under steam to Gravesend, Kent, England. April 4 – April 22, 1838 – The paddle steamer SS Sirius (1837) makes the Transatlantic Crossing to New York from Cork, Ireland, in eighteen days, though not using steam continuously. April 8 – April 23, 1838 – Isambard Kingdom Brunel's paddle steamer SS Great Western (1838) makes the Transatlantic Crossing to New York from Avonmouth, England, in fifteen days, inaugurating a regular steamship service. Economics A period of economic prosperity in America and Europe, mainly due to increasing trade, the mass production of railroads, and the Erie Canal. Dutch-speaking farmers known as Voortrekkers emigrate northwards from the Cape Colony. The destruction of the 17th bank of the United States occurred in 1836 Popular culture Literature Charles Dickens publishes his first novel The Pickwick Papers followed by Oliver Twist and Nicholas Nickleby January 14, 1831 – The Hunchback of Notre Dame is first published by Victor Hugo. 1832 – Publication of the first Baedeker guidebook, Voyage du Rhin de Mayence à Cologne, in Koblenz. 1832 – Publication begins (posthumously) of Carl von Clausewitz's Vom Kriege ("On War"). June 10, 1834 – Thomas Carlyle moves to Cheyne Row (Carlyle's House) in London. August 25, 1835 – In the U.S., the New York Sun prints the first of six installments of the Great Moon Hoax. December 1, 1835 – Hans Christian Andersen publishes his first book of fairy tales. March 1836 – First monthly part of Charles Dickens' The Pickwick Papers ("The Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club ..., edited by Boz") published in London. 1836 – The first printed literature in Assyrian Neo-Aramaic is produced by Justin Perkins, an American Presbyterian missionary. February 1837 – Charles Dickens's Oliver Twist begins publication in serial form in London. March 23, 1839 – The Boston Morning Post first records the use of "OK" (oll korrect). Theatre March 1, 1836 – Antonio García Gutiérrez's play El Trovador is performed for the first time in