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.
After he had visited the Tower of London and seen the Collier Revolver in it.
ReplyDeleteWell, you Brits gave him a patent too, in all fairness.
ReplyDeleteThere 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. :)
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.
ReplyDeleteNot a definitive biography by any means, but interesting nonetheless.
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.
ReplyDeleteMy 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.
I thought Colt visited the Tower of London long after he created his revolver. There, he saw a revolver from 1680.
ReplyDeletePepper-boxes were cool, though.
Resolver? I thought he patented the revolver.
ReplyDelete