While rapid fire weapons are generally thought of as a 19th Century invention, James Puckle patented a rapid fire gun in 1718!
Check out this image of the gun from his patent: http://www.wedmore.org.uk/puckle/James.htm A bit more information on the gun can be found at http://www.ccrkba.org/pub/rkba/news/PuckleGun.htm
Gabriel Rain’s bears the dubious honor of introducing landmines during the Civil War, during the Peninsula Campain. His Subterra shells used as land mines and booby traps created a bit of a challenge for Union forces. Click here for an article about Rains and his explosives work. http://maic.jmu.edu/JOURNAL/6.1/notes/robbins/robbins.htm
Rain’s deadly hanywork was put to use at Battery Wagner to fend off the attack by the 54th Massachusett- Rain’s Subterra shells were pressed into service as immense hand grenades. This along with a heavily entrenched position helps explain the terrible loss of live in the 54th, whose service is recounted in the movie Glory.
From London’s Science Museum website comes “Electricity on Show” a four part paper detailing science exhibits – particularly electricity related ones -as public entertainment in 19th Century England. Contains details of a number of interesting exhibitions, including mentions of Tesla and Jacob Perkins, mentioned elsewhere in this blog in connection with his steam gun.
The Museum of Retro Tech is a great collection of interesting technology – odd steam engines, early communications devices and more!
Follow this link for some beautiful drawings of siege engines by Leonardo
http://members.iinet.net.au/~rmine/Leonardo.html
Page also includes many interesting links many kinds of siege engines.
Just came across this site – has beautiful models of various kinds of miniature “toy” steam engines – their is nothing “toy” about the prices though =) http://www.ministeam.com/acatalog/shop.html
After Ross Winan’s 1858 Cigar Ship, the idea of cigar-shaped vessels of war was widely circulated – coverage of his invention in Scientific American helped sparked the development of the David Boats, and perhaps F.D. Lee’s Torpedo Ram – which never got its iron shield, but was of similar shape and size. While Winan’s sons tried to interest the U.S. and Russian Government in cigar-shaped gunboats, the Confederacy took a more direct approach with the C.S.S. Manassas.
This link has several great renderings of the Manassas well as several period engravings. http://www.cityofart.net/bship/manassas.html
The Alligator was an early Civil War submarine built by a Frenchman – this site has a short history of the submarine and some nice images of the inventor’s hand drawn plans. http://americancivilwar.com/tcwn/civil_war/naval_submarine.html
This is a link to a great story about the remains of what is perhaps the world’s oldest traction engine found buried and abandoned in the depths of an old mine. http://www.ranger.demon.co.uk/aveling/aveling.htm
Yet another ancient steam engine – the Samson – Canada’s first locomotive … http://www.parl.ns.ca/samson/index.htm
