Hiram Stevens Maxim
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Categories: 1840 births | 1916 deaths | People from Maine | American inventors | British inventors | Firearm designers | Burials at West Norwood Cemetery | National Inventors Hall of Fame | Steam aircraft
This article is about Hiram Stevens Maxim. For his son, who wrote "Horseless Carriage Days", see Hiram Percy Maxim.
Sir Hiram Stevens Maxim (February 5, 1840 – November 24, 1916) was an American born inventor, who emigrated to England and adopted British citizenship. He was the inventor of the Maxim Gun, the first portable, fully automatic machine gun, and the ubiquitous mousetrap, and lays a claim to inventing the lightbulb. He also experimented in 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, were highly successful.
BirthImage:Maxim.gif
Maxim's flying machine
Image:Maximgun.jpg
Maxim machine gun mounted on a Dunonald gun carriage
Maxim was born in Sangerville, Maine in the United States of America. 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. ChildrenHis children include: Hiram Percy Maxim; Florence Maxim, who married George Albert Cutter, and Adelaide Maxim, who married Eldon Joubert.[1] Hiram Percy Maxim followed in his father's and uncle's footsteps and became a mechanical engineer and weapons designer as well, but he is perhaps best known for his early amateur radio experiments and for founding the American Radio Relay League. [2] EmigrationMaxim emigrated to England in 1881 (by which time he'd given up trying to sell his bulb when it became clear Edison had won) and became a naturalized Briton in 1899. Queen Victoria knighted Maxim in 1901 for his inventions, many of which had military applications. Maxim founded an armaments company to produce his machine gun in Crayford, Kent, which was later bought out by the Vickers corporation in 1896, becoming 'Vickers, Son & Maxim'. Their updated version of the design, referred to as the Vickers gun, was the standard British machine gun for many years. Variants of the Maxim gun were used extensively by both sides during World War I. His brother Hudson Maxim was also a military inventor, specializing in explosives. InventionsMaxim is also credited with inventing the common mousetrap and, as a long-time sufferer from bronchitis, he also patented and manufactured the "Pipe of Peace", a menthol inhaler. Over the years he was involved in several patent disputes with Thomas Edison. One of these included the incandescent lightbulb, for which Maxim claimed that Edison was credited by means of his better understanding of patenting law. He claimed an employee of his (Maxim's) had falsely patented the invention under his own name, and that Edison proved the employee's claim to be false, knowing that patent law would mean the invention would become public property, allowing Edison to manufacture the lightbulb without creidting Maxim as the true inventor. Flying MachineMaxim's "flying machine", of 1890, weighed 3.5 tons, had a 110 foot wingspan, was 145 feet long, and used a 360 horsepower steam engine driving two propellers. It rode on rails and was prevented from rising by outriggers underneath, somewhat in the manner of a roller coaster. His apparent goal in building this machine was not to soar freely, but to test if it would lift off the ground. During testing it developed enough lift to damage the track but Maxim aborted in time to prevent disaster. The craft was almost certainly aerodynamically unstable and uncontrollable, which Maxim probably realized, because he subsequently abandoned work on it.[3] Captive Flying MachinesImage:BPBflyingmachines.jpg
The Sir Hiram Maxim Captive Flying Machines operating at Blackpool Pleasure Beach in 2006
In order to both fund his research into flight, and to popularise the notion of flight, Maxim designed and built an amusement ride for the Earl's Court exhibition of 1904. The ride was based on a test rig he had devised for his research, and consisted of a large spinning frame, from which cars hung. As the machine spun, the cars would be swung outward through the air, simulating flight. The ride was similar to the later Circle Swing ride, popularised in the USA by renowned roller coaster designer Harry Traver. Maxim originally intended to use primitive aerofoils and wings to allow riders to control their flight, but this was outlawed as unsafe. This came as a huge blow to Maxim, who lost interest in the project, declaring it to be “Simply a glorified merry-go-round". Nevertheless, his company built several more rides of various sizes at various seaside resorts in order to recoup costs, including Crystal Palace, Southport, and Blackpool, all of which opened in 1904. Originally, Maxim had only intended to build two, but a lengthy break down of the original Earl's Court ride lost revenue, forcing him to build more in order to make the venture profitable. He had plans for further variations of the ride, but his disillusionment with the amusement business meant that they were never realised. Although he expressed regrets about the whole project, the rides were held in high regard within the amusement industry, and the Blackpool ride still operates to this day as part of what is now the Pleasure Beach amusement park. Along with the same park's similarly historic River Caves, it is the oldest operating amusement ride in Europe, although the Flying Machines does have the distinction of being virtually unchanged, including being powered by a motor to Maxim's original design. The Blackpool ride's name is now usually abbreviated to the "Flying Machine" or "Flying Machines", although the full name is given at the ride entrance. In 2001, Disney's California Adventure opened, featuring Golden Zephyr, a modern day recreation of the Traver version of the ride. The ride itself is much smaller than the Blackpool version, with cars swinging out to a much less severe angle. Nevertheless, engineers from Disney visited Blackpool to inspect the Maxim ride (the only example of either version still standing) in order to help design their ride. Grahame-White, Bleriot, and Maxim CompanyIn 1911 he headed the newly formed Grahame-White, Blériot, and Maxim Company, founded with the two aviators and two hundred thousand pounds of capital. [4] DeathMaxim died in London and is buried in West Norwood Cemetery. Patents
Hiram Percy Maxim (son):
References
External links
de:Hiram Maxim eo:Hiram Stevens Maxim es:Hiram Stevens Maxim fi:Hiram Maxim he:היירם מקסים it:Hiram Stevens Maxim ja:ハイラム・マキシム pl:Hiram Stevens Maxim pt:Hiram Maxim ru:Максим, Хайрам Стивенс sk:Hiram Stevens Maxim sl:Mitraljez Maxim sv:Hiram Maxim | ||||||||||||||||||
