who invented first Gun?

Who Invented the First Gun

Gun, the most important equipment of modern day warfare was invented by none other than Richard Gatling. He was born in September 12, 1818 and died in February 26, 1903. He was an American inventor and the first gun invented by him is known as the Gatling gun. Gatling gun is considered to be the first successful machine gun ever made.

Richard Gatling had an MD but he never practiced medicine. He was interested to be an inventor and he invented a lot of things which enlightened people’s life. When the Civil War broke Gatling was staying in Indianapolis, Indiana. He noticed that many soldiers died out of diseases and thus he took a new challenge to invent guns. He knew that gun is an only medium of warfare where one person can do the job of hundreds. Even if your opponent outnumbers you still you can win the ware if you have a gun. This was the sole reason for the invention of the gun. In 1861 the war broke out and he invented the gun too. Later he also opened a Gatling Gun Company.

Richard Gatling – Inventor of Gun

Richard Gatling not only invented the first gun but he also invented many other things. He wanted to be an inventor from a very young age. At the age of twenty-one, he invented a screw propeller for steamboats. At the age of thirty-six, he invented a wheat drill and the rice-sowing machine while working in a dry woods store. He became interested in medicine after he had an attack of smallpox.

richard jordan gatling
Inventor of Gun – Richard Jordan Gatling

In the year of 1850, he graduated with an MD from Ohio Medical College. Just after this, the American Civil War broke and it is then when Gatling realized the importance of gun in modern warfare. He realized that gun is an only medium of warfare where one person can do the job of hundreds. Even if your opponent outnumbers you still you can win the ware if you have a gun. He later started working on the invention of the gun. Other inventions of him include the ones to improve toilets, bicycles, cleaning of raw wool with steam, pneumatic powder, and many more. He also opened a new company for the manufacturing of steam plows and tractors.

The first gun invented by Gatling was based on Gatling’s seed planter. In 1866 the US government started to purchase these guns officially. Personalities like General Benjamin F. Butler bought about twelve guns even before the US government started purchasing it officially. Admiral David Dixon Porter also bought guns from him.

Richard later sold the patents of the Gatling gun Company to Colt in the year 1870. He continued to be the President of the Gatling gun Company. In the year 1897 Colt fully absorbed the Gatling gun Company. It is true that the guns were invented during the civil war but it was hardly in use then due to various problems. The gun initially invented by Gatling had a hand cranked mechanism. In the year 1893, he invented a gun with electric motor and replaced the older hand cranked mechanism. The main property of the gun was that it could achieve a rate of fire of 3000 per minute. It was considered to be a relatively new invention at that time.