“Uncovering the Hidden Genius: The Surprising Origins of the World’s First Machine Gun!”

While the Maxim Gun has largely been superseded by more modern designs, the OG machine gun continues to see service to this very day, with many examples recently showing up in the conflict in Ukraine. But what did Sir Hiram Maxim think of his most famous creation’s deadly legacy? While outwardly pleased by his success, Maxim at least seemed aware of the disturbing hypocrisy of the world around him. Shortly before the outbreak of the First World War, Maxim – a lifelong bronchitis sufferer – invented a new type of medical inhaler which dispensed soothing pine vapour. The invention drew scorn from his fellow inventors, who accused him of “prostituting his talents” on quack science. To this accusation, Maxim responded:

“This is indeed a very curious world. I was the first man in the world to make an automatic gun. It is astonishing to note how quickly this invention put me on the very pinnacle of fame. Has it been anything else but a killing machine, very little would have been said of it. From the foregoing it will be seen that it is a very credible thing to invent a killing machine, and nothing less than a disgrace to invent an apparatus to prevent human suffering.”

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