Sir Hiram Stevens Maxim: The Inventor of the Machine Gun
Early Life and Education
Sir Hiram Stevens Maxim was born on February 5, 1840, in Sangerville, Maine, USA. He showed an early interest in science and engineering, and at the age of 14, he moved to Boston to pursue his education. He worked as a machinist and attended evening classes at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Inventing the Machine Gun
In the 1880s, Maxim turned his attention to the development of a new type of weapon. He believed that a machine gun capable of firing hundreds of rounds per minute would revolutionize warfare. After several years of experimentation, he unveiled the Maxim machine gun in 1884.
The Maxim gun was the first fully automatic machine gun, meaning it could fire multiple rounds without the need for the shooter to manually reload. It was water-cooled, which allowed it to sustain a high rate of fire without overheating. The Maxim gun quickly became a standard weapon for armies around the world.
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