12/7/09

By the time the Civil War broke-out in April 1861, Richard J. Gatling had already applied for at least 10 patents. In 1835, Richard Gatling invented, but missed a previously patented ship's screw propeller by only a few months. In 1839 he invented a seed-sowing rice planter, later adapted as a very successful wheat drill, which used less seed and increased yield from the hand sowing method in use at the time.

Born September 12, 1818 in Hertford Count, North Carolina, Richard Gatling was the son of a well-to-do planter, Jordan Gatling, who himself had two patents to his credit. At the start of the war, Gatling thought the invention of a high rate of fire automatic gun would reduce the number of soldiers required to man the battlefield, reducing their exposure to disease and other hazards of war.

In 1870, Richard Gatling moved his family to Hartford, Connecticut where the Gatling gun was manufactured at the Colt Armory. The Gatling's lived in Hartford until 1897 when the family moved to New York City to be near their daughter and her husband.

Richard Gatling pursued and promoted many new inventions until he died in February 1903, at the age of 84. His most successful inventions, the Gatling gun and his wheat drill, made him a fortune which he largely lost in unwise investments in railroads, real estate, and in promotion of his other inventions, but when he died he was still a wealthy man. In 1943, during World War II, the U.S. Government named a new destroyer the USS Gatling, in honor of the service he performed to his country.

The Gatling Gun Company remained in Indianapolis, Indiana until 1874, when it was incorporated at Hartford, Connecticut, where the gun was manufactured by Colt. The partnership between Colt and the Gatling Gun Company grew closer and by 1897 the two companies essentially merged. Within a few years Colt Patent Fire Arms Manufacturing Company completely absorbed the Gatling Gun Company. Gatling's European subsidiary had previously been sold to Frederick C. Penfield, of London, England, in 1888.

Model 1862. In 1862, at the age of 44, Richard Gatling had demonstrated his first working model of the Gatling gun in Indianapolis, Indiana. He patented the Gatling gun on November 4, 1862. Its key elements were a lock cylinder containing six strikers which revolved with six gun barrels, powered by a hand crank. The gun used separate .58 cal. paper cartridges and percussion caps, which resulted in gas leakage. The model 1862 Gatling gun attained a very high rate of fire of 200 spm (shots per minute) for that time.

Model 1865. By changing to a unitary cartridge, Gatling overcame the problem with gas leakage only to encounter problems in the ammunition feed mechanism. Gatling designed a new breech mechanism which fixed the feed problem, leading to the development of the much improved model 1865 six-barrel 1 inch Gatling gun, the forerunner of all later model Gatling guns.

Model 1866. After successful trials at Frankford Arsenal and Fort Monroe, the U.S. Army ordered 50 1 inch cal. and 50 .50 cal. model 1866 six-barrel Gatling guns. All but five of the .50 cal. guns were converted to .45 cal. beginning in August 1866. The gun used a simple tin box to hold cartridges. These guns were all fixed-mounted on an artillery carriage.

Model 1871 had improved breech bolts that could be easily removed for maintenance in the field used a new curved cartridge magazine. In 1872 a new hopper design permitted use of a 400 round Broadwell drum. The Broadwell drum was a circular cluster of 20 vertical feed magazines containing 20 cartridges each. When a magazine emptied, the gunner manually turned the drum to align the next full magazine. The U.S. Army purchased one 1 inch cal. and nine .50 cal model 1871 ten-barrel weapons.

Model 1874 featured a shorter, lighter bronze breech that resulted in a lighter and sturdier .45 cal. gun. The gun had an automatic or manual traversing mechanism and for the first time, an adjustable set screw which permitted head space adjustment. A right hand mounting sight permitted the feed hopper to be shifted from 45° to a vertical feed, using a new box magazine. The guns were made in two lengths, a musket length and a smaller shorter length "Camel" gun. This ten-barrel .45 cal. gun had an improved automatic or manual traversing mechanism. The U.S. Army bought eight musket length guns. The lighter "Camel" gun could be mounted on a new lighter cavalry cart, tripod, or camel saddle. The "Camel" name was more a marketing ploy than a practical application. The U.S. Army bought 11 model 1874 guns.

Model 1875 had an improved hopper, new magazine, and a beveled bolt face to correct some jamming problems experienced with the model 1874 gun. A new vertical feed 40 round magazine, trapezoidal in cross-section, was introduced at this time. The U.S. Army bought 44 long barrel and four "Camel" guns.

Model 1876 featured relocation of the hopper to the left of center, cartridge guides, improved breech, and altered breech bolt bevel.

Model 1877 long barrel had a new feed hopper for easier ejection and a higher rate of fire.

Model 1877 "Bulldog" was the first Gatling gun to feature a fully enclosed bronze housing over the barrels and breech. The "Bulldog" was a five-barrel .45 cal. tripod mounted weapon. A few were mounted on a light cavalry cart. A rear mounting hand crank permitted a very high rate of fire of up to 1,000 spm, almost twice the rate of a typical World War II machine gun.

Model 1879 was the first Gatling gun with a flexible mount that could traverse through an arc like a true machine gun. Head spacing could be adjusted using a notched adjusting knob without using any tools. Most model 1879 guns were mounted on artillery carriages, but a few were mounted on tripods. The model 1879 was a ten-barrel .45 cal. fully encased gun using the standard 40 round trapezoidal magazine. The U.S. Army purchased 32 model 1879 Gatlings.

Model 1881 was similar to the model 1879, but had a modified feed hopper to accept the new Bruce feeder. The U.S. Army bought 27 model 1881 guns.

Bruce feeder, named after it's inventor, L.F. Bruce, permitted the Gatling gun to be loaded directly from 20 round cardboard cartons into a two slot vertical bar. When one slot emptied, gravity forced a full slot over the feed hopper. By alternately loading the empty slot, a continuous fire could be sustained. The Bruce feeder was a favorite of the U.S. Army.

Model 1883 was a ten-barrel .45 cal. gun fully encased in a bronze jacket. A side mounting hand crank produced a rate of fire of up to 800 spm, but could be rear mounted to increase the rate up to 1,500 spm. Internal components were strengthened to withstand the punishment from the higher rate of fire. The model 1883 had a new flexible yoke that permitted a wider angle of traverse and elevation than previous models. However, the vertical feed magazine did not work as well with wider range in elevation. A new flat donut-shaped Accles mechanical drum feeder was developed for use with this gun. The standard mount was a heavy steel Army carriage, but it could also be mounted on a light folding steel tripod. The Accles feeder was a complex mechanism subject to jamming. In 1898, the U.S. Army refitted it's model 1883 Gatlings with a Bruce feeder adapter.

Models 1885, 1886, and 1887 were modifications to the model 1883 with improvements in the ejector and cartridge guides. The Army purchased 100 model 1885-1887 Gatling guns.

Model 1889 went back to an improved version of the model 1881 that could use either a Bruce feeder or the older style gravity feed magazine. This model featured a heavy steel gunner's shield and ten exposed .45 cal. barrels. The U.S. Army bought 53 model 1889-1892 Gatlings.

Model 1893 was similar to models 1889-1892, but the caliber was changed to the new Army standard .30/40 cartridge. A new horizontal strip feeder was introduced with the model 1893. The strip feeder fed from the left side. Wedges in the hopper stripped each round from its retaining prongs into the hopper. The empty feeder ejected to the right side. The U.S. Army bought 18 ten-barrel .30 cal. model 1893 guns. The strip feeder was also subject to jamming. In 1897 the Army converted all of it's .30 cal. Gatlings to accept the Bruce feeder. In 1893 the Gatling Gun Company introduced a six-barrel version of the model 1893 that was the smallest of all the Gatling guns.

Model 1895 was similar to the model 1893, but was designed to accept only the Bruce feeder. All previous model were unpainted, but this model was painted olive drab, with some parts blued.

Model 1900 was very similar to the model 1895, but only a few parts were painted olive drab. Models 1895-1903 could be mounted on an armored field carriage. The U.S. Army bought 94 model 1895 Gatlings and many model 1900s.

Model 1903. In 1903, the Army converted their model 1900 guns to fit the .30-03 cartridge that became the Army standard with the introduction of their new model 1903 Springfield rifle.

Model 1903-06. Later, all model 1903 Gatlings were converted to cal. .30-06. This conversion was done mostly at the Army's Springfield Armory.

Obsolescence. With a advent of the automatic machine gun, the U.S. Army declared their Gatling gun obsolete in 1911, after 45 years of service to the U.S. Army.

World War II fighters and bombers were commonly equipped with Browning M2 heavy barrel .50 cal. machine guns which had a maximum firing rate of 1,200 spm. The Gatling gun had exceeded that rate of fire in 1880.

In 1946, U.S. Army Ordnance Research and Development Service engineers dusted-off the old Gatling principle and adapted it to create the 6,000 spm M61 series Vulcan 20mm Gatling gun that now arms many of our U.S. Air Force and U.S. Navy supersonic fighters, including the F-14, F-15, F-16, F/A-18 and the F-111A. The Gatling principle permitted a high rate of fire while reducing heat and barrel erosion.

In June 1946, the General Electric Company was awarded the contract for "Project Vulcan". In 1950, GE delivered ten initial model A .60 cal. T45 guns for evaluation. Thirty-three model C T45 guns were delivered in 1952 in three calibers: .60 cal., 20mm, and 27mm, for additional testing. After extensive testing, the T171 20mm gun was selected for further development. In 1956 the T171 20mm gun was standardized by the U.S. Army and U.S. Air Force as the M61 20mm Vulcan aircraft gun. The M61 20mm Vulcan is an externally powered, six-barrel, rotary-fire gun having a rate of fire of up to 7200 spm. The firing rate is selectable at 4,000 spm or 6,000 spm. The gun fires standard electrically primed 20mm ammunition. The M61A1 is hydraulically or ram-air driven, electrically controlled, and uses a linkless ammunition feed system.

12/4/09

Future of the product

I think the Gatling gun will not in the world anymore because the Gatling gun was heavy, I think people will invent other gun that's light and shoot so fast.

I think the Gatling gun will look like a hand gun that is so light and so people so fast in 10 years from now.

12/4/09

Impact of invention

The impact of the Gatling Gun on society is saved more peoples' life and won the battle during the civil war.
The Gatling gun didn't impact me.

12/4/09

Description of the invention

What does it do?
The Gatling gun can be use to shoot things.
How does it work?
When you press the button the holes will shoot the bullets out, so it can kill people.

12/3/09

History of invention

When was the Gatling gun invented?
The Gatling gun was invented in 1861.
Who made the Gatling gun?
The Gatling gun was invented Richard Jordan Gatling.
Why was the Gatling gun invented?
The Gatling Gun invented because during the civil war, R.J Gatling don't want a lot of people die, so he tried to invent something can kill people fast so his country can save more people.
Where was it invented?
The Gatling gun was invented in Hartford.

11/30/09

1861-The Gatling gun (1861) is one of the most well known early rapid-fire weapons and a forerunner to the modern machine gun. Its first combat usage, and the battlefield role it is most well-known for, was its use by the Union forces during the American Civil War in the 1860s. Later it was also famously used in the assault on San Juan Hill during the Spanish-American War.^[1]
1865-In Jan. 1865 Gatling's improved Model 1865 gun was tested by the Ordnance Department. Among other things, this weapon used rimfire copper-cased cartridges instead of the steel-chambered paper variety. Though this model did not see service, it was adopted officially in 1866. Having at last received government approval, Gatling began to sell his guns throughout the world; they achieved lasting fame in the post-war years.
1877-In 1877, Gatling lived in Hartford, Connecticut next door to Mrs. Colt, widow of the late Samuel Colt at whose factory the Gatling Gun Company now contracted the manufacture of their guns. Mrs. Colts little niece, Elizabeth Jarvis, was a frequent visitor to the Gatling's hospitable residence, and Gatling explained to her his beliefs at the time he developed the guns

11/30/09

• 1232: The Chinese who invented gunpowder (black powder) first used it in a weapon - gunpowder filled tubes aka rockets.
• 1364: First recorded use of a firearm - shooter lit wicks by hand that ingnited gunpowder that was loaded into the gun barrel.
• 1400s: Matchlock guns - first mechanically firing of guns. Wicks were now attached to a clamp that sprang into gunpowder that was placed in a "flash pan".
• 1509: Wheel lock guns - wicks were replaced the wheel lock that generated a spark for igniting the gunpowder.
• 1630: Flintlock guns - the flintlock did two things mechanically, it opened the lid of the flash pan and provided an igniting spark.
• 1825: Percussion-cap guns invented by Reverend John Forsyth - firing mechanism no longer uses flash pan, a tube lead straight into the gun barrel, the tupe had an exposive cap on it that exploded when struck
• 1830: Back action lock
• 1835: Colt revolver - first mass-produced, multi-shot, revolving firearms
• 1840: Pin-fire cartridges
• 1850: Shotguns
• 1859: Full rim-fire cartridge
• 1860: Spencer repeating carbine patented
• 1861: Breech loaded guns
• 1862: Gatling Gun
• 1869: Center-fire cartridge
• 1871: Cartridge revolver
• 1873: Winchester rifle
• 1877: Double-action revolver
• 1879: Lee box magazine patented
• 1892: Automatic handguns invented by Joseph Laumann
• 1893: Borchardt pistol - automatic handgun with a separate magazine in the grip
• 1903: First automatic rifle a Winchester.

11/10/09

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United States of America
This article is part of the series: United States Constitution
Original text of the Constitution
Preamble Articles of the Constitution I · II · III · IV · V · VI · VII
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Bill of Rights I · II · III · IV · V · VI · VII · VIII · IX · X Subsequent Amendments XI · XII · XIII · XIV · XV XVI · XVII · XVIII · XIX · XX XXI · XXII · XXIII · XXIV · XXV XXVI · XXVII
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The Bill of Rights in the National Archives.

Close up image of the Second Amendment

U.S. Firearms Legal Topics
Assault weapons ban
ATF (law enforcement)
Brady Violence Prevention Act
Federal Firearms License
Firearm case law
Firearm Owners Protection Act
Gun Control Act of 1968
Gun laws in the U.S. — by state
Gun laws in the U.S. — federal
Gun politics in the U.S.
National Firearms Act
Second Amendment
Straw purchase
Sullivan Act (New York)
Violent Crime Control Act

The Second Amendment (Amendment II) to the United States Constitution is the part of the United States Bill of Rights that protects a right to keep and bear arms.^[1] The Second Amendment was adopted on December 15, 1791, along with the rest of the Bill of Rights. The American Bar Association has noted that there is more disagreement and less understanding about this right than of any other current issue regarding the Constitution.^[2]

For almost a century following the ratification of the Bill of Rights, the intended meaning and application of the Second Amendment drew less interest than it does in modern times.^[3] Notable U.S. Supreme Court interpretations of the Second Amendment include those in United States v. Cruikshank (1875), Presser v. Illinois (1886), Miller v. Texas (1894), Robertson v. Baldwin (1897), United States v. Miller (1939) and District of Columbia v. Heller (2008).

11/10/09

GUN

In military parlance, a gun is a muzzle or breech-loaded projectile-firing weapon. There are various definitions depending on the nation and branch of service. A "gun" may be distinguished from other firearms in being a crew served weapon such as a howitzer or mortar, as opposed to a small arm like a rifle or pistol, but there are exceptions, such as the USAF's GUU5/P. At one time, land-based artillery tubes were called cannon and sea-based naval cannon were called guns. The term "gun" morphed into a generic term for any tube launched projectile firing weapon used by sailors including boarding parties and Marines.

In modern parlance, a gun is a projectile weapon using a hollow, tubular barrel with a closed end—the breech—as the means of directing the projectile (as well as other purposes, for example stabilizing the projectile's trajectory, aiming, as an expansion chamber for propellant, etc), and firing in a generally flat trajectory.

The term "gun" has also taken on a more generic meaning, by which it has come to refer to any one of a number of trigger-initiated, hand-held, and hand-directed implements, especially with an extending bore, which thereby resemble the class of weapon in either form or concept. Examples of this usage include staple guns, nail guns, and glue guns. Occasionally, this tendency is ironically reversed, such as the case of the American M3 submachine gun which carries the nickname "Grease Gun".

Most guns are described by the type of barrel used, the means of firing, the purpose of the weapon, the caliber, or the commonly accepted name for a particular variation.

Barrel types include rifled—a series of spiraled grooves or angles within the barrel—when the projectile requires an induced spin to stabilize it and smoothbore when the projectile is stabilized by other means or is undesired or unnecessary. Typically, interior barrel diameter and the associated projectile size is a means to identify gun variations. Barrel diameter is reported in several ways. The more conventional measure is reporting the interior diameter of the barrel in decimal fractions of the inch or in millimeters. Some guns—such as shotguns—report the weapon's gauge or—as in some British ordnance—the weight of the weapon's usual projectile.

A gun projectile may be a simple, single-piece item like a bullet, a casing containing a payload like a shotshell or explosive shell, or complex projectile like a sub-caliber projectile and sabot. The propellant may be air, an explosive solid, or an explosive liquid. Some variations like the Gyrojet and certain other types combine the projectile and propellant into a single item.

10/1/09

National History Day is an innovative process for students to learn history by selecting topics of interest and launching into a year-long research project.

Vacuum Cleaner

A vacuum cleaner (also hoover in colloquial British English) is a device that uses an air pump to create a partial vacuum tosuck up dust and dirt, usually from floors. The dirt is collected by either a dustbag or a cyclone for later disposal.

In 1876, Melville Bissell of Grand Rapids, Michigan created a vacuum cleaner for his wife,Anna, to clean up sawdust in carpeting. Shortly after, Bissell Carpet Sweepers were born. After Melville died unexpectedly in 1889, Anna took control of the company and was one of the most powerful businesswomen of the day.

[edit]H. Cecil Booth

The first powered cleaner employing a vacuum was patented and produced by British inventor Hubert Cecil Booth in 1901. He watched a demonstration of a device used in trains that blew dust off the chairs, and thought it would be much more useful to have one that sucked dust. He tested the idea by laying a handkerchief on the seat of a restaurant chair, putting his mouth to the handkerchief, and then trying to suck up as much dust as he could onto the handkerchief. Upon seeing the dust and dirt collected on the underside of the handkerchief he realized the idea could work. Booth created a large device, known as Puffing Billy, driven first by an oil engine, and later by an electric motor. It was drawn by horses and parked outside the building to be cleaned.

Booth started the British Vacuum Cleaner Company and refined his invention over the next several decades. Though his "Goblin" model lost out to competition from Hoover in the household vacuum market, his company successfully turned its focus to the industrial market, building ever-larger models for factories and warehouses. Booth's company lives on today as a unit of pneumatic tube system maker Quirepace Ltd.

9/30/09

Service Learning is a method of teaching through which students apply their academic skills and knowledge to address real-life needs in their own communities.

Service Learning provides a compelling reason to learn, teaches the skills of civic participation and develops an ethic of service and civic responsibility. Service learning increases motivation and retention of academic skills as specific learning goals are tied to community needs. By solving real problems and addressing real needs, students learn to apply classroom learning to a real world context. At the same time, students provide valuable services to schools and communities.

Community Service vs. Service Learning: Service learning projects emphasize both the service and the learning. By applying classroom content to community settings, service-learning is a way to provide more authenticity and purpose for classroom learning. By contrast, community service emphasizes the habits and skills of volunteerism.

9/18/09

1.The class should be divided into groups of 3 to 5.

2.The teacher gives instructions to the students that they are to pretend that each group is a new democratic country and that they must create a Bill of Rights for the country.

3.Materials are distributed to each group.

4.Students are given thirty minutes to construct the Bill of Rights.  (Students may decorate their Bill of Rights with a country name, flag etc.) 

5.Each group presents their Bill of Rights to the class. 

6.The class discusses the problems faced by the groups. 

7.Students tape their creations to the walls.

8.Create a Bill of Rights for an imaginary country.

9. Present the Bill of Rights to the class.

10. Discuss problems faced by the group.

9/17/09

The Bill of rights-The original bill of rights was proposed by James Madison in the first Congress in 1789. It contained twelve proposed amendments, the first article of the original bill has never been ratified and it is unlikely that it ever will be. The second article was finally ratified in 1992 as the 27th amendment. Articles three through twelve were ratified in 1791 as ten separate amendments into what is now collectively called the Bill of Rights. Bill of rights are not really important to me now, because I don't know what I need now. I still young, I don't really need it.

9/16/09

1. What is your type? Example- I am a ENTP

2. What was the strength of each preference?

I or E = %
S or N = %
F or T= %
J or P = %

3. What does the Keirsey description call you? Ex. ENTP are inventors

3. What does the Butt and Heiss type description call you? Ex: Clever professor

4. What are 5 personality traits common to your type? Ex; ENTPs are quick witted, love to argue, innovative/ingenius, problem solvers, optimist, but gets frustrated by small obtacles.

5. What 3 famous people share your type?
EX. Michaelango, Walt Disney, Ben Franklin and Thomas Edison share my type

6. What are three careers that are good for your type?
Natural sciences, high school education, and computer science are all good careers for my type. As a high school computer teacher, I have to agree!

7. Do you agree with the results? Why or why not?
Yes, I agree because I love to argue a point, and I consider myself innovative and clever. However, I think that I am more feeling than thinking, so I don't agree 100%

8. Add any additional comments or questions (EC)
I learned a lot about what type of person I am, but where can I go to learn about other types?

1)I am ESTJ

2)ESTJ is Extraverted, Sensing, Thinking, and Judging.

3)George Bush

4)ESTJs are joiners. They seek out like-minded companions in clubs, civic groups, churches and other service organizations. The need for belonging is woven into the fiber of SJs. The family likewise is a central focus for ESTJs, and attendance at such events as weddings, funerals and family reunions is obligatory.

5)Bruce Willis, Sandra Day O'Connor, George W. Bush, Mark Anthony.

6)Law and counseling are good career is good for my type. 

7)No, I don't agree because I don't think so much, and my sensing is good.

8)But I agree with something is I like law.

9/16/09

What's personality? It is the quality or fact of being a particular person; personal identity; individuality. How does our personality affect our choices and behavior? Like your personality is cool, your teacher told you to do something for her, you won't do because your personality is cool. If you don't have personality, then you don't know how to choose thing. We need to have personality, but not the bad personality.

9/15/09

• My favorite historical figure is Martin Luther King Jr. Martin Luther King Jr. (January 15, 1929-April 4, 1968) was born Michael Luther King, Jr., but later had his name changed to Martin. I like him because he made black people and white to be equal. When he stopped this thing, he just stopped a lot of fighting. So the white people can't always get on black peoples' things. And I like his quote, "I have a dream". This quote made me have a dream too. Is I want to pass the high school, and then go to a good college. So when I pass the college, I can get a good job, so I will get a lot of money to give to my family.