Hiram Stevens Maxim
| Sir Hiram Stevens Maxim | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born |
5 February 1840 Sangerville, Maine, U.S. |
| Died | 24 November 1916 (aged 76) London, England, UK |
| Resting place |
West Norwood Cemetery 51°26′01″N 0°06′11″W / 51.43354°N 0.10314°W |
| Occupation | Inventor |
| Known for | Inventor of Maxim gun Claim to invention of light bulb |
| Spouse(s) | Jane Budden (1867–1881?) Sarah Hayes (1881–1916, his death) |
| Children |
Hiram Percy Maxim, Florence Maxim Cutter, Adelaide Maxim Joubert |
| Relatives | Hudson Maxim (brother) |
Sir Hiram Stevens Maxim (5 February 1840 – 24 November 1916) was an American-born British inventor who moved from the United States to the United Kingdom at the age of 41. He remained an American citizen until he became a naturalised British subject in 1900. He was the inventor of the Maxim Gun – the first portable, fully automatic machine gun – and held patents on mechanical devices such as a mousetrap, hair-curling irons, and steam pumps. He laid claim to inventing the lightbulb, and even experimented with powered flight, but his large aircraft designs were never successful. However, his "Captive Flying Machine" amusement ride, designed as a means by which to fund his research while generating public interest in flight, was highly successful.
Maxim was born in Sangerville, Maine, in the United States in 1840. He became an apprentice coachbuilder at the age of 14 and ten years later, took up a job at the machine works of his uncle, Levi Stephens, at Fitchburg, Massachusetts. He subsequently worked as an instrument-maker and as a draughtsman. (His early jobs in these arenas led him to be often disappointed with workers when he ran his own companies later on in life.)
His brother, Hudson Maxim, was also a military inventor, specialising in explosives. They worked quite closely together until later in life, when there was a disagreement on a patent for smokeless powder. The patent, Hiram claimed, had been issued under the name 'H. Maxim,' and that because of this, his brother was able to stake a claim as the powder being his own. Hudson was a skilled and knowledgeable man, and sold arms in the US, while Hiram worked mainly in Europe. Hudson had success in the States, which caused jealousy from Hiram (he lamented having a "double" of himself running around in the States). The jealousy and disagreements caused a rift between the brothers that would last the rest of their lives.
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