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Sir Hiram Stevens Maxim was born in America...
gun and the American fully automatic weapon were relegated to the sidelines, because manufacturing was not yet sophisticated enough to produce them. The two inventions remained mere technical marvels in the memory of their contemporaries.Maxim initially presented his invention to the United States Department of War in 1883, even though he had emigrated to Britain in 1881. However, the American military saw the gun as little more than an amusing curiosity.
Afterwards, Maxim returned to Britain, where he founded the Maxim Gun Company to produce his machine gun. He then was able to demonstrate his invention to powerful figures in many countries, including German Kaiser Wilhelm, who insisted that several Maxim guns should be bought for the German army, and Russian Emperor Alexander III.
The Maxim machine gun was initially used to protect artillery systems from enemy attacks and defend military fortifications. However, its subsequent use in battle forced
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