Monday, February 25, 2008

Today In History: Resolver.

On this date in 1836, 26 year-old Connecticut native Samuel Colt was awarded a patent for his "revolving gun". Supposedly inspired by the wheel of a ship on which he'd been sailing, Colt's percussion revolver was the first really practical repeating handgun.
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6 comments:

Anonymous said...

After he had visited the Tower of London and seen the Collier Revolver in it.

10:10 AM, February 25, 2008
Tam said...

Well, you Brits gave him a patent too, in all fairness.

There were home computers before Jobs and Woz started messing around in a garage as well.

Many things get thrown at the wall, but it's the first one that sticks that gets remembered. :)

10:19 AM, February 25, 2008
Anonymous said...

RE: Sam Colt. I'm currently reading "Machine gun : the story of the men and the weapon that changed the face of war" by Anthony Smith and he treats Colt at some length for his efforts in developing repeating arms.
Not a definitive biography by any means, but interesting nonetheless.

12:15 PM, February 25, 2008
staghounds said...

My favorite inventorial detail of Coltiana is the wooden revolver bits he presented at a trial, swearing that he had whittled them while a boy aboard ship.

My understanding is that it has machining directions still visible on it, like "drill here".

Quite a promoter and manufacturing whiz. Even if the cylinders DO turn the wrong way.

3:28 PM, February 25, 2008
Anonymous said...

I thought Colt visited the Tower of London long after he created his revolver. There, he saw a revolver from 1680.

Pepper-boxes were cool, though.

9:16 PM, February 25, 2008
Eric said...

Resolver? I thought he patented the revolver.

10:10 PM, March 01, 2008

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