id	author	title	date	pages	extension	mime	words	sentences	flesch	summary	cache	txt
en-wikipedia-org-5950		Showboat - Wikipedia			.html	text/html	1587	142	71	A showboat, or show boat, was a floating theater that traveled along the waterways of the United States, especially along the Mississippi and Ohio rivers, to bring culture and entertainment to the inhabitants of river frontiers.[1] Showboats were a special type of riverboat designed to carry passengers rather than cargo, and they had to be pushed by a small (and misleadingly labeled) towboat, also known as a pusher, which was attached to it.[2] Showboats were rarely steam-powered because the steam engine had to be placed right in the auditorium for logistical reasons, therefore making it difficult to have a large theater.[3] British-born actor William Chapman, Sr. created the first deliberately-planned showboat, named the Floating Theater in Pittsburgh in 1831.[1] He and his family of nine, along with two other people, lived on this boat and performed plays with added music and dance at stops along the waterways.	./cache/en-wikipedia-org-5950.html	./txt/en-wikipedia-org-5950.txt