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Mr. Gatling's terrible marvel : the gun that changed everything and the misunderstood genius who invented it
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Mr. Gatling's terrible marvel : the gun that changed everything and the misunderstood genius who invented it

Author: Julia Keller
Publisher: New York : Viking, 2008.
Edition/Format: Book : Biography : EnglishView all editions and formats
Summary:
Although little used during the American Civil War--the time in which it was invented--the Gatling gun soon changed the nature of warfare and the course of history. Discharging 200 shots per minute with alarming accuracy, the world's first machine gun became vitally important to protecting and expanding America's overseas interests. Its inventor, Richard Gatling, was famous in his own time for creating and improving  Read more...
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Details

Named Person: Richard Jordan Gatling; James Henry Gatling
Material Type: Biography, Internet resource
Document Type: Book, Internet Resource
All Authors / Contributors: Julia Keller
ISBN: 9780670018949 0670018945
OCLC Number: 173640966
Description: 294 p. : ill. ; 24 cm.
Contents: Cold beauty -- A world of mornings -- Land of the second chance -- "Drunkards, dandies & loafers" -- The spaces between the bullets -- "A little Gatling music" -- "The world's great storm" -- Warriors and sages.
Responsibility: Julia Keller.
More information:

Abstract:

Although little used during the American Civil War--the time in which it was invented--the Gatling gun soon changed the nature of warfare and the course of history. Discharging 200 shots per minute with alarming accuracy, the world's first machine gun became vitally important to protecting and expanding America's overseas interests. Its inventor, Richard Gatling, was famous in his own time for creating and improving many industrial designs, from bicycles and steamship propellers to flush toilets. Gatling actually proposed his gun as a way of saving lives, thinking it would decrease the size of armies. Cultural critic Julia Keller's account of the invention, its misunderstood creator, and its tremendous impact on world events also shows how its combination of ingenuity, idealism, and destructive power, perfectly exemplified the paradox of America's rise as a world superpower.--From publisher description.

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