Hiram Maxim

Table of Contents

Introduction References & Edit History Quick Facts & Related Topics

Images

Read Next

Figure 13: A Maxim machine gun, belt-fed and water-cooled, operated by German infantrymen, World War I.

7 Deadliest Weapons in History

Union Jack flag of Great Britain, united kingdom

What’s the Difference Between Great Britain and the United Kingdom?

London Big Ben from Trafalgar Square traffic in UK

11 Lesser-Known, Mostly Contemporary Paintings You Should Hunt Down the Next Time You’re in London

German machine gunners occupy a trench during World War I.

Weapons of World War I

7 Deadliest Weapons in History

Discover

illustration of the walking titanosaurus, Patagotitan mayorum

Titanosaurs: 8 of the World's Biggest Dinosaurs

Cathedrale St.Jean in Lyon, France has a 14th-century astronomical clock that shows religious feast days till the year 2019; Perpetual Calendar

Ten Days That Vanished: The Switch to the Gregorian Calendar

The Colosseum, Rome, Italy. Giant amphitheatre built in Rome under the Flavian emperors. (ancient architecture; architectural ruins)

New Seven Wonders of the World

Still from the film Deliverance, 1919. The story of Helen Keller and Anne Sullivan. View shows Keller in the cockpit/front seat of an airplane.

How Did Helen Keller Fly a Plane?

Nostradamus and His Prophecies

Giorgione, Italian, 1477/1478-1510, The Adoration of the Shepherds, 1505/1510, oil on panel, overall: 90.8 x 110.5 cm (35 3/4 x 43 1/2 in.), Samuel H. Kress Collection, 1939.1.289, National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.

8 Must-See Paintings at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C.

airplane in flight (plane, aircraft, flying)

7 Puzzling Plane Disappearances

Science & Tech

Hiram Maxim

American inventor

Also known as: Sir Hiram Stevens Maxim

Written and fact-checked by The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last Updated: Feb 1, 2024 • Article History

Hiram Maxim

See all media

Category: Science & Tech

In full:: Sir Hiram Stevens Maxim

Born:: February 5, 1840, Sangerville, Maine, U.S.

Died:: November 24, 1916, London, England (aged 76)

See all related content →

Hiram Maxim (born February 5, 1840, Sangerville, Maine, U.S.—died November 24, 1916, London, England) prolific inventor best known for the Maxim machine gun. The eldest son of a farmer who was a locally notable mechanic, Maxim was apprenticed at age 14 to a carriage maker. Exhibiting an early genius for invention, he obtained his first patent in 1866, for a hair-curling iron. His iron was followed by a device for generating illuminating gas and a locomotive headlight. In 1878 he was hired as chief engineer of the United States Electric Lighting Company, the first such company in the United States. ...(100 of 285 words)

Access the full article

Help support true facts by becoming a member.