Why A Humanitarian Invented The Machine Gun
The Gatling gun turned individuals into replaceable parts
“For the first time in history, death was automatic….doled out in sweeps and clusters, in reeling multiples, instead of one by one. Hence a world that had been moving steadily toward…a thoughtful and human acknowledgement of the uniqueness of the individual, suddenly was forced to contend with the appalling opposite…Death was mechanized. Human beings were interchangeable, just as were the parts in other new machines…”
— Mr. Gatling’s Terrible Marvel, Julia Keller
When we think of great inventors in history the normal group of names might be mentioned: Tesla, Edison, Watt, and Marconi. However there’s another inventor who might be as influential, but less readily known. Then again, you may not recognize the man’s name, but you’ll recognize the name of the invention which bears his name.
The picture above will be instantly recognizable by many as a Gatling gun. Doctor Richard Jordan Gatling’s invention made an incredible mark on humanity. As Julia Keller points out in her book, modern guns are still referred to as “gats” by some — a tribute to the weapon of his name.
Gatling’s weapon was the first true “machine gun” that enabled a single person to wipe out lines of other…
