Samuel Colt biography. Colt Samuel - biography, facts from life, photographs, background information
Samuel Colt: why was he called the “great equalizer”? July 6th, 2010
Perhaps in all stories about famous designer weapons Samuel Colt (1814-1862), an American saying is mentioned that “Ab Lincoln freed all men, and Sam Colt made them equal.”.
“The Great Leveler” S. Colt was a true American: active, skillful and resilient. Like the hero of Mark Twain's novel A Yankee in King Arthur's Court. Who, if you remember the plot, in the nineteenth century worked as a foreman at the Colt arms factory. The biography of S. Colt is still cited with pleasure as one of the examples of the implementation of “ American dream».
Both young Sam's head and hands worked as expected. At the age of 14, he made his first invention: an electric fuse for detonating an underwater mine. The inventor even demonstrated it in action. But, being placed too close to the shore, the exploding mine doused the spectators with water from head to toe. Young Sam had to flee from an angry crowd. Mechanical Engineer Elisha King Root (1808-1865) hid the boy in his house. Subsequently, he became a manager at the S. Colt arms factory.
Everyone knows: S. Colt invented the “Colt”. But S. Colt was not the inventor of the pistol. Pistols have been known since the 15th century. They were used by both infantrymen and cavalrymen. But the pistol was still a disposable weapon - it took too long to load it. Attempts to speed up the rate of fire and make a pistol with two or multiple barrels were unsuccessful. Most often, a pair of single-shot pistols were used in battle. Yes, according to at least, it was possible to fire two shots one after the other.
Another option for increasing the rate of fire of pistols was revolvers. The revolver was pre-loaded with a rotating drum, filling it with gunpowder and hammering a bullet (do not forget that the unitary cartridge is a rather late invention). When the drum was turned, the charged chamber appeared opposite the barrel and became, as it were, its continuation. Now all that was left was the small matter: somehow ignite the gunpowder in the chamber. The gunpowder, burning, will push the bullet out. Hurray, shot!
As we see, the revolver is not S. Colt’s invention. The main part of the Colt, the loaded drum, was invented long before it started operating in Hartford, Connecticut. arms factory, which produced revolvers, the handles of which were decorated with the image of a running foal. After all, “colt” means “foal” in English.
Two circumstances contributed to the emergence of a truly combat multi-shot revolver. First was invented capsule, which made it possible to ignite gunpowder in a drum “with one blow.” Bulky flintlocks are a thing of the past. Secondly, it began to develop machine production. It became possible to produce complex and precise revolver mechanisms in mass quantities. Now it was possible to make a rotating drum that would reliably cover the barrel while firing. After all, previously, quite often, powder gases broke out in the place where the drum was pressed against the barrel. This not only reduced the effectiveness of the shot, but was dangerous for the shooter.
S. Colt, as often happens, found himself in in the right place V right time. He became interested in designing revolvers and believed that he could make a real multi-shot combat weapon. He believed so much that he began to mobilize funds for future production. No shares, no loans! S. Colt, under the name of "Dr. Colt", a chemist and naturalist, traveled around the country and demonstrated in small American towns effect of laughing gas on humans. The performances were popular, the volunteers fell into joyful euphoria, and money flowed into the cash register.
In 1835, the first working model of a revolver was created. It was designed by a gunsmith from Baltimore John Pearson. Colt patented this revolver in England and America. Immediately after receiving the American patent, on March 5, 1836, he founded his own production.
The company was located in Paterson, New Jersey. Accordingly, the first Colt revolver model was called “Paterson”. This revolver was produced from 1836 to 1842. In 1842, due to a conflict between partners, the company ceased to exist.
But S. Colt could no longer be stopped. He “fell ill” with revolvers and wanted to resume production. To do this, he even remembered the “sins of his youth.” Having developed an underwater mine with an electric fuse, he sold the patent to the US government. At the same time, together with a famous American artist, and an even more famous inventor Samuel Morse (Samuel Finley Breese Morse) (1791-1872) S. Colt was engaged in improving telegraph communications.
Revolvers, meanwhile, proved to be in great demand during the Mexican-American War of 1846-1847. At the beginning of 1847, Colt received the first government order for the production of 1000 revolvers. This weapon he designed together with the captain Samuel Hamilton Walker (1817-1847). Captain Walker died early in the Mexican War. The revolver was named after him, Walker.
Institute teachers of machine parts like to tell the legend that one of the conditions of the government order was the mutual compatibility of the parts of all revolvers. If it were not for machine production and the system of tolerances and landings developed by that time, they conclude their story, S. Colt would never have been able to fulfill this condition.
In the early 1850s, Colt opened a gunsmithing shop in Hartford. In 1852 he became the first American entrepreneur, who opened a branch of his company in London. In 1855, a large arms factory was built near Hartford, which is still located here today.
In 1861, the Civil War began in the United States. Colt weapons were used by both warring sides. The “Great Equalizer” sold its products to both northerners and southerners. As they say in America: “This is business, nothing personal.” S. Colt himself did not live to see the end of the war. He died suddenly in 1862. He left behind a fortune of $15 million. At current exchange rates, this is about 300 million. Since Samuel Colt's entry into arms business and until the end of his life, his enterprises produced more than 400 thousand units small arms. At one time, S. Colt was among the ten richest people in America.
Samuel Colt's earthly life was short-lived, 47 years. But the Colt outlived its creator and took part in important events, which determined not only the borders of the current United States, but also many features of the American character and American society.
Revolvers in the United States were supplied not only to the army. Anyone could freely buy a not-so-expensive Colt. He turned out to be a reliable defender in the event of an attack by bandits. Remember the episode with the attack on the stagecoach from A. Surikova’s comedy film “The Man from the Boulevard des Capuchins”! Initially, the desire for freedom and justice, embedded in the consciousness of Americans, received significant support from an iron friend. The presence of weapons among all conflicting parties, oddly enough, made it possible to “resolve” situations that otherwise could have led to lawlessness.
No wonder the long-barreled 45 caliber (11.43 mm) cavalry revolver was called the “Peacemaker”. And also the “conqueror of the Wild West.” A 45 caliber pistol is not an episodic hero of Westerns at all!
Illustration copyright RIA Novosti Image caption President Gerald Ford gave a pair of vintage “peacekeepers” to Leonid Brezhnev
On February 25, 1836, a revolution took place in weapons business: 22-year-old American Samuel Colt received patent number 9430X for a “revolving gun” - a revolver with a rotating breech.
For the first time, it became possible to fire quickly from a short-barreled weapon and confront several opponents at once. All modern pistols and revolvers trace their origins back to Colt's invention.
According to a number of historians, he contributed to the formation of American freedom and individualism. Availability on hand effective weapon quickly brought into circulation subjects with increased aggressiveness, and forced the rest to take into account each other’s rights.
The most famous product company, a legend of the Wild West, a 45-caliber six-shooter model 1872 revolver received the unofficial nickname Peacemaker.
This point of view is reflected in the famous phrase: “God created people, and Colonel Colt made them equal.” Another option: "Abe Lincoln gave everyone freedom, and Sam Colt evened the odds."
Many in the United States are now ready to argue with this: these days in the country the uncontrolled sale of weapons almost regularly leads to mass murders.
But no matter how you look at it, Colt’s product is one of the symbols of America.
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- The idea of using a rotating drum to create repeating weapons has been in the air for a long time. First hunting rifle with a drum for 6 charges was released in France in 1629.
- The first revolvers had four or six barrels instead of a rotating breech, which occupied a firing position one after the other. Such a weapon was called a bundelrevolver, and in common parlance a “pepper shaker”. The last “pepper shaker” was patented and began to be produced in 1839 by the Belgian Mariette. Their disadvantages were their complex design and heavy weight. Illustration copyright Getty Image caption Samuel Colt
- Colt did not serve a single day in the army, and received the rank of brevet (temporary) colonel from the governor of Connecticut for his support in the elections.
- The future inventor became seriously interested in technology at the age of 12. Two years later, on Independence Day, he called the residents of his hometown of Hartford to demonstrate the underwater mine he had assembled, placed it in the middle of the lake, but did not calculate the strength of the powder charge. The spectators were drenched from head to toe, and the teenager was almost beaten. Mechanic Elisha Root, who stood up for him, later worked as a manager at the Colt arms factory.
- After a year of study, Colt was kicked out of the university, allegedly because he started a fire while doing chemical experiments. Young Samuel got a job as a sailor on a merchant brig. Main idea life dawned on him when he watched the rotation of the ship's wheel and capstan (a device for winding the anchor chain). During the voyage, Colt carved a model of a revolving drum from wood, which is now kept in the company museum.
- When starting the business, Colt did not use a loan, but earned money by going on a tour, during which he entertained provincial audiences with demonstrations of the effects of “laughing gas” (nitrous oxide) on volunteers. Dentist Horace Wells, who happened to see the performance, was the first to use nitrous oxide as an anesthetic.
- The gunsmith shop founded by Colt in Patterson, Texas, went bankrupt in 1842 due to a lack of orders. The first one released there Colt model The Patterson is a collector's item today.
- New life The business was inspired by a widely reported incident in 1845, when 16 Texas Rangers armed with Colts fought off 80 Comanche Indians, killing 35 of them.
- In 1846, the war with Mexico began, and the federal government ordered Colt a thousand cavalry revolvers, asking him to modify them in accordance with the wishes of the military. The army was represented in the design group by Captain Walker. He soon died in the war, and the model created with his participation was named in his honor.
- Founded by Colt in 1855, the factory in Hartford, Connecticut, is still the company's headquarters. It was there that Mark Twain's "Yankee in King Arthur's Court" worked.
- "Colt" in English means "foal", the image of which has become a trademark.
- When Samuel Colt died suddenly in 1862 at the age of 48, he was buried at public expense, although he owned a fortune of 15 million then (about 900 million today) dollars. The inventor was escorted on his last journey, shooting into the air from revolvers of his production. According to a local newspaper reporter, “the cannonade was like on a battlefield.”
- The company was passed on to Colt's widow and then became a joint stock company. Illustration copyright g Image caption "Colt" became the hero of countless action films and westerns
- Caliber - measure of diameter gun barrel, equal to one hundredth of an inch (25.4 mm). The most common pistol and revolver caliber in the world, 38 is equal to 9 millimeters. The Colt company produced different weapons, but her business card There have always been relatively rare 45-caliber samples (11.3 mm).
- One of the world's first multi-shot automatic pistols also bore the name "Colt" (1900).
- For several decades, the revolver competed with the pistol, surpassing it in reliability, but inferior in magazine capacity and reloading speed. Currently, revolvers are considered obsolete technology, but are produced and sold in large quantities, mainly in the USA, where they are an attribute national history. In addition, the revolver can be stored loaded indefinitely for use in an emergency.
- Richly decorated Colts were in the personal arsenals of all Russian emperors, starting with Nicholas I. According to available data, the same brand was preferred by the great terrorist Boris Savinkov.
- The most famous models"Colt" - the Dragoon 1848, Peacemaker 1872 and Python 1955 revolvers (still in production), as well as the legendary 1911 army pistol. The company's most popular modern pistols are the 45-caliber Defender and the small 38-caliber Mustang. Illustration copyright ap Image caption M-16 - the main small arms of the US Army
- In addition to pistols and revolvers, the company produces heavy military weapons, including the M-16 assault rifle.
- The largest in the world working revolver, made in his home workshop by Polish-American Richard Tobis, weighs 45 kg, has a 28 mm caliber and fires 138 gram bullets. The smallest is the Swiss Swiss Mini Gun, 5.5 cm long and weighing 19.8 g; the caliber of specially produced cartridges is 2.34 millimeters, bullet weight is 0.128 grams.
- Over more than a century and a half, Colt's Manufacturing Company produced about 30 million weapons.
- The right to own guns is enshrined in the Second Amendment to the US Constitution, which took effect on December 15, 1791.
- Americans own about 250 million legal revolvers, pistols, shotguns and rifles, two-thirds of which are owned by 20% of the population. In 2012 alone, 18.8 million guns were officially sold.
- US Public Opinion. Gun freedom advocates say that the Second Amendment to the Constitution (on the right to bear arms) is necessary to ensure that the government does not forget about the First (on freedom of speech, press, assembly and religion).
July 19, 1814 was born Samuel Colt(Samuel Colt). The legendary American engineer Samuel Colt is known as the inventor of the most famous individual small arms, named after him, and the proverb that says: “God made men great and small, and Colonel Colt equalized their chances.” This is where the mistake of most ordinary people lies, believing that Mr. Colt was a military designer and even worked for the government (like our national pride, Mikhail Kalashnikov).
Russia is threatened with weapons
In reality american army and the police forces did not immediately receive the one invented by Colt. automatic pistol. For a long time Samuel was mistaken for an eccentric who invents things that no one needs, which seemed like toys to others. He would have been considered a city madman, but the guy was the son of the owner of a factory where fabrics were produced. However, the rich son did not grow up as a barchuk, but from the age of 9 he worked hard at his father’s enterprise, where he created his first four-barreled pistol, which fired four bullets simultaneously. Very heavy weapons with such strong recoil that when fired, it could cripple the shooter himself.
Samuel Colt was born on July 19, 1814 in the town of Hartford (Connecticut). For his birthday, 4-year-old Samuel was given a bronze toy gun. The inquisitive kid stole a handful of gunpowder from his father’s hunting horn and the pistol exploded in his hands with a terrible roar, enveloping the child in clouds of black smoke. This was the first introduction to firearms, but far from last experiment novice pyrotechnician. At the age of 15, Samuel entered Amhera University. Within the walls of his alma mater, the boy conducted an experiment with a sea mine, which turned into a loud explosion and the same loud scandal. The student was expelled. The future creator of the legendary revolver hired himself as a sailor on the merchant ship Corvo. Watching the operation of a capstan - a mechanism in the form of a large drum for selecting anchor or mooring ropes with sockets for a stopper - he was struck by the idea of replacing the gun lock with a rotating drum. They say that Colt assembled the first wooden model of his revolver on board the ship.
It must be admitted that the very idea of using a drum for charging was not new, but it was Colt who was the first to think of combining the operation of the trigger mechanism with the rotation of this drum, which led to the appearance of a capsule revolver. Brilliant invention not only punched its way through, but its inventor had enough punching power just like his weapon. On February 25, 1836, 22-year-old Samuel Colt received a patent for his first revolver.
A year earlier, with the help of his businessman uncle, he opened the Patent Arms Manufacturing Co. and weapons factory in Paterson, New Jersey. The first model of the 38 caliber revolver was named Colt Paterson. His 9 mm bullet from a distance of 20 yards (18.29 m) pierced 3 pine boards each one inch thick (762 mm). All five charges could be fired in 5 seconds, and the handle, carved from walnut wood, made the revolver easy to handle.
Even the famous Texas Rangers, who appreciated the advantages of a repeating revolver, could not save his father American pistol. A group of rangers led by Jack Hayes unexpectedly encountered Indians near the Pedernails River. Letting me in large group horsemen within shooting range, the Texas boys fired several continuous volleys at them, which demoralized the Comanche attackers. After several similar episodes, when small groups The Rangers were completely defeated by large hordes of Redskins, and the Colt revolver was proudly called “Texas.”
However, the Colt product, which cost only $20, was sold in small quantities, and the US military department, having purchased 100 pieces for testing, refused to continue the deal, declaring this revolver “yesterday.” Five years later, the Patent Arms Manufacturing Co. plant was closed. There are only two thousand bucks left in the pocket of the self-taught engineer. Samuel Colt, commissioned by the American government, developed sea mine with an electric fuse, together with his namesake Samuel Morse, he launched the production of underwater telephone cables. It’s not for nothing that it is said that to whom war belongs, to whom mother is dear! The war with Mexico showed the merits of the new weapon to the soldiers and officers of the US Army. In Texas, conquered by the Americans, Jack Hayes formed a regiment of rangers and ordered a thousand revolvers for them - two per brother! Another Texan, a certain Sam Walker, suggested that Colt make some changes to the design. The advice of an experienced campaigner helped create new model revolver Colt Walker.
In 1847, by order of the government, it began industrial production this type firearms. In 1848, near his native Hartford, Samuel Colt purchased a wasteland on which he built an arms factory, which is still in operation today. Colt's company "Colt's Patent Fire Arms Manufacturing Company" can be said to have armed all of America without a stretch. Already in the first year, the plant produced up to 150 "barrels" per day. The plant in Paterson switched to the production of expensive piece revolvers. The buyers of Colt's products were cowboys of the Wild West and nouveau riche East Coast, terrorists, bandits and revolutionaries. Personal thank you letter The inventor was sent by the Italian independence fighter Giuseppe Garibaldi.
The governor of Connecticut awarded Colt the title of colonel because a famous and wealthy businessman (his fortune was estimated at $15 million) supported him in the elections. Samuel Colt died on January 10, 1862 at the age of 47, having survived Crimean War, the American Civil War between North and South and numerous skirmishes and clashes, one of the main characters in which was his brainchild, spewing deadly lead.
American engineer, gunsmith and industrialist Samuel Colt(Samuel Colt) was born on July 19, 1814 in Hartford (Connecticut, USA), where he later founded his company.
WITH early years Colt had an energetic character, he achieved everything in life on his own, for which he is especially loved by his compatriots.
At the age of 14, Colt began his working career. His first work was the invention of a galvanic battery, which he adapted to detonate an underwater mine.
The young inventor decided to publicly demonstrate his invention July 4, 1829. However, as a result of a mistake, a mine explosion sent a huge stream of water down on the assembled audience. The spectators thought it was a specially staged joke and wanted to beat up the unlucky organizer. Colt was saved from the crowd by a young man, a meeting with whom determined his future life path. This man turned out to be a mechanic Elisha Ruth(Elisha King Root), future designer and organizer of Koltova production.
Fascinated by the design of revolvers, Colt began his search cash for this lesson. For some time he traveled around the country under the name of "Doctor Coult", a chemist and naturalist, and demonstrated the effects of laughing gas on volunteers. In this way he earned money for the first experimental models of revolvers.
Colt soon hired a gunsmith from Baltimore. John Pearson(John Pearson), who developed the first for him in 1835 working model of a revolver. Colt immediately went with her to England to obtain a patent, which was issued to him on December 18, 1835. Returning to America, he received an American patent (the patent was issued on February 25, 1836) and ten days later, on March 5, 1836, he founded his production.
The company was named Colt's Patent Firearms Manufacturing Company and was located in Paterson, New Jersey.
The first revolver model that the Colt company began to produce was called "Paterson model"(Paterson model) in honor of the city in which the production was located; it was produced from 1836 to 1842.
August 29, 1839 Colt patented a charging lever under the barrel for the revolver, which made it possible to tightly push bullets into the chambers, which increased the accuracy of the battle. The drum became irreplaceable, and this detail became typical for many subsequent Colt revolvers.
Pocket revolvers were created on the basis of the second model. Best Buyers Colt's products were Rangers ( special units light infantry, who fought the war with the Indians and the French, using Indian tactics of ambushes and surprise attacks).
But, despite the constant sale of its products, the Colt company ceased to exist in 1842 due to conflict between partners.
Trying to get funds to resume the production of revolvers, Colt began experiments on creating an underwater mine. A year later, he developed a mine with an electric fuse, simultaneously improving the underwater electrical cable.
During the Mexican-American War 1846-1848 The Texas Rangers needed the Colts, and January 4, 1847 Colt received the first government order for the production of 1,000 revolvers.
Not having his own weapons factory, he entered into a contract with Eli Whitney(Eli Whitney), son of the famous inventor of the cotton gin, according to which Whitney gave his unused textile factory in Connecticut for the production of revolvers.
When the contract expired, Colt opened a gunsmith shop in Hartford, where he began producing new modifications of the revolver. In 1852, he received an order for a revolver for naval officers.
In the same year, Colt founded a plant in London, becoming the first American entrepreneur to open a branch of his production overseas.
Very small quantity revolvers were also made in Russia. When in 1854 Colt presented Emperor Nicholas I with several of his revolvers, but this did not make the expected impression - a little earlier, Tula gunsmiths had presented the Tsar with “Colt system” revolvers. Orders were received in Tula for small quantities of such revolvers for the guards naval crew, for officers rifle regiment imperial family.
At the same time, Colt acquired the Southern Meadows wasteland near Hartford (Connecticut). The wasteland was flooded with water every spring. Colt built dams there and built a large arms factory in 1855. The Colt Company is located here to this day.
At his enterprise, Colt introduced measures that were progressive for those times. social protection workers: built comfortable houses, a recreational center, sought to minimize manual labor using various mechanisms.
Samuel Colt, who had never served a day in the army, received the rank of colonel from the Governor of Connecticut in 1855 for his support in the elections.
Colt soon became one of the ten most successful industrialists in America. IN 1861 The Civil War began between North and South. Colt supplied weapons like his “relatives” northern states, and southern ones. And if 1000 revolvers took part in the Mexican-American War, now the count was tens of thousands of guns.
However, the man who gave excellent weapons to the conflicting parties did not live to see the end of the war - Colt suddenly died in 1862, aged 47 years, in hometown Hartford, leaving behind a fortune estimated at $15 million (about $300 million at today's exchange rates).
After Colt's death, the business was inherited by his widow, Elizabeth Hart Jarvis and her family. IN 1901 the company came under the management of a group of investors.
Currently, Colt Company remains one of the leading manufacturers of firearms. Among the brand's hits are the long-lived army pistol "Colt 1911" 45 caliber and the famous assault rifle M 16.
Samuel Colt is a legend and symbol of the United States, and the word “Colt” has become one of the synonyms for revolver.
The famous aphorism: “God created men free, Colt created equal” came to light only after Colt’s death. In its original version during the American Civil War, it sounded different: “Lincoln freed the people, and Sam Colt equalized their rights.”
Samuel Colt (Samuel Colt, English Samuel Colt; July 19, 1814 Hartford, Connecticut - January 10, 1862, ibid.) - American gunsmith, inventor and industrialist.
In his youth, Samuel was very hot-tempered and had a restless character. As soon as he turned 16, his father sent him to naval service. Apparently, he hoped that after being a sailor for a year or two, Samuel would stop having the wind in his head. On the way to India, the young man had a lot of time to think. However, he did not want to be his father's assistant and a respectable bourgeois. The ship stopped in London. Just at this time, an arms exhibition was taking place in the Tower. The young man's attention was attracted by multi-charged weapons. On the ship, Colt made a model of a pistol with a rotating drum. He had a penchant for invention.
Upon returning home, Samuel decided to bring his idea to life. However, he did not have the money for this. Whole year he had to work in his father's dyeing factory. Colt was especially keen on chemical processes. At the age of 19, Samuel told his father that he wanted to live and work independently. Over the next few years, he diligently saved money to implement his projects and inventions. He gave lectures and demonstrated chemical experiments. The highlight of the lecture was laughing gas. Very soon Colt was able to save money and started working. He designed a pistol and rifle in 1883. In the same year he patented them in England and France. In 1886, he received a patent for a five-shot revolver in America. This was the very first real rapid fire weapon. Colt organized the Arms Company with $200 thousand, which he received from his relatives and some investors.
He failed to convince the army to purchase revolvers. They were not approved during testing and were also considered large. In 1842 the company failed. Colt sold the patent to other companies. He was constantly advised to give up trying to make weapons. However, Colt refused. He explained this by saying that the joy of creating something that he had never created before was more important than any wealth. Colt worked hard to develop shells and guns for submarines. Colt also helped the inventor of the telegraph. They improved the first telegraph lines. Orders for revolvers soon resumed. The state rejected the Colts, but all border residents who carried weapons ordered them.
Colt was asked to create a six-shooter .44 caliber revolver. Samuel did it. More and more orders came from the gold mines of California. There the Colts became the main arbiters of justice. Colt is back in the gun business. Now he had to work alone. Until 1846. This year the war with Mexico began. Colt was so poor at the time that he decided to enroll in rifle regiment. Unfortunately, he was not accepted. And so he received an order from the state for 1000 revolvers. Colt bought out his patent. Opened a weapons factory in Connecticut. Attracted partners and specialists, talented engineers and managers. Set up incredibly quickly mass production. It was efficient and well organized. Has earned recognition all over the world. At the end of the inventor’s life, 1,500 people worked at his factory.