Maxim, Hiram Stevens (1840–1916)

US-born British inventor of the first fully automatic machine gun, in 1884. Its efficiency was further improved by Maxim's development of a cordlike propellant explosive, cordite. Knighted 1901.

Maxim was born in Sangerville, Maine, and spent his early life in various apprenticeships. While working as chief engineer for the US Electric Lighting Company, he came up with a way of manufacturing carbon-coated filaments for the early light bulbs that ensured that each filament was evenly coated. Deciding to concentrate on arms manufacture, he settled in Britain and set up a small laboratory in London. The company created to produce the Maxim gun soon became absorbed into Vickers Limited. By 1889, the British Army had adopted the gun for use.

The Maxim gun of 1884 used the recoil from the shots to extract, eject, load, and fire cartridges. With a water-cooled barrel, it could fire ten rounds per second.

Maxim's first patent, when he was 26, was for a curling iron. Later inventions ranged from mousetraps to gas-powered engines. He was particularly interested in powered flight and the relative efficiencies of aerofoils and airscrews. By 1894 he had produced a steam-driven aircraft launched on rails. After three trials the aircraft succeeded in leaving the tracks, but it was clear that the amount of water needed to generate power made it too heavy.