1840-1916

American-born British inventor who revolutionized warfare in 1884 with the invention of the world's first automatic, portable machine gun. The Maxim recoil-operated machine gun was used extensively and with devastating effect in World War I. Maxim's many other inventions include a simple steam-powered flying machine, an electric pressure regulator, smokeless gunpowder, a pneumatic gun, carbon filaments for lightbulbs, vacuum pumps, gas motors, and an automatic steam-powered water pump. He was knighted in 1901.