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Hiram Maxim Facts & Worksheets

Hiram Maxim was famous for creating the first portable fully-automatic machine gun, the Maxim gun.

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Hiram Maxim was famous for creating the first portable fully-automatic machine gun, the Maxim gun. He was an American-British inventor that held several patents on a variety of mechanical devices. This includes hair curling irons, the mousetrap, and much more.

See the fact file below for more information on the Hiram Maxim or alternatively, you can download our 25-page Hiram Maxim worksheet pack to utilise within the classroom or home environment.

Key Facts & Information

BIOGRAPHY

  • Hiram Stevens Maxim was born in the town of Sangerville, Maine, in the United States, on the 5th day of February, 1840. Maxim was raised in a poor family. Even though his father owned a sheep farm, it was not enough to provide for their everyday lives.
  • Maxim’s childhood was mostly spent taking care of the sheep. His basic education was only spent within a one-room schoolhouse where he learned basic and necessary skills, such as reading and writing.
  • When Maxim reached the age of fourteen, he was trained by a carriage maker. Maxim worked in a mouse-infested mill. He showed signs of creativity by developing an automated mousetrap that is still used today.
  • After serving as an apprentice, Maxim moved from one job to another in search of places where he could apply his innovative mind. During his experience, Maxim created a silicate blackboard and achieved his first patent invention in 1866 for the hair-curling iron.

THE MAXIM MACHINE GUN

  • In the year 1881, Maxim was able to display an electric pressure regulator at the Paris Exposition. He represented the United States Electric Lighting Company. Also, the French Government honored Maxim for his excellent work with electricity and his invention of the electric pressure regulator.
  • While the exhibition was happening, a man approached Maxim and told him that if he wanted to make a fortune, Maxim should create an innovation that would help the Europeans kill one another.
  • Later on, the stranger’s suggestion stood with him, and he applied his skills in creating that one-of-a-kind invention.
  • During the same year, Maxim represented the United Stated Electric Lighting company to an English audience, and he moved to England. He then began having an interest in weaponry and developed a machine gun in 1884, following the stranger’s advice to him.
  • As a successor to Richard Jordan Gatling and the Gatling Gun, Maxim’s machine gun differed in a few important ways. The Gatling gun was operated with ten barrels and had a maximum fire rate of 1,200 rounds per minute.
  • On the other hand, the Maxim machine gun was being fired via a manual cranking mechanism. It aimed to control each bullet’s recoil power with a force powerful enough to eject the used cartridge and load another. Lastly, the Maxim machine gun’s design required only one barrel to fire all of its bullets automatically without needing to crank the weapon.
  • Also, Maxim developed his smokeless powder to minimize the smog when firing. Additionally, comparing the Maxim machine gun and the Gatling gun, Maxim’s invention was more mobile than Gatling’s invention.

THE MAXIM GUN COMPANY

  • In the same year, Maxim founded the Maxim Gun Company in Britain to produce a new weapon – a gun that is fired by itself with just a simple touch of the button. However, this new invention was criticized and questioned by many people.
  • Maxim’s services were offered to the U.S. War Department, but they refused and deemed his services unworthy of U.S. military standards. With this, Maxim demonstrated the weapon to the British government, particularly the English Royalty.
  • Fortunately, the English Royalty was impressed with Maxim’s demonstration and decided to use Maxim’s gun for Her Majesty’s Royal Forces. Later on, the Nordenfelt Guns and Ammunition Co. of England joined forces with the Maxim Gun Company.
  • Maxim became successful in selling his weapon to the British Empire’s armed forces. Still, several people in the army of the high command were impressed with the weapon but could not see its practicality.
  • It was stated that this gun was mainly for scaring and impressing other factions, such as the Matabele War of 1893-1894. Later on, several European countries showed interest in buying the machine gun, including Germany.
  • Later on, the Maxim Gun Company was absorbed into Victors Ltd, and Maxim became the new director. The Victors Machine Gun, which was identical to the Maxim Machine Gun’s design, eventually became the standard issue weapon of its type during World War I in the British Army.

THE END OF MAXIM’S CAREER

  • In Maxim’s career, he was able to achieve 122 United States patents and 149 British patents. By the end of his career, Maxim focused and devoted his attention and energy on aeronautical experiments.
  • Maxim was able to build an airship to study the lift and thrust of different wing shapes and propellers in 1894. However, he did not develop a method for controlling the aircraft. Still, Maxim used a very heavy, steam-propelled machine to prove that mechanical flight with heavy machinery was feasible.
  • With this design, Maxim created an amusement ride called the Captive Flying Machine. The ride became very popular in British fairgrounds.
  • On the 24th day of November, 1916, Maxim passed away. This was only days before the Battle of the Somme, where the Maxim Machine Gun killed more than one million soldiers in four months.

Hiram Maxim Worksheets

This is a fantastic bundle which includes everything you need to know about Hiram Maxim across 25 in-depth pages. These are ready-to-use Hiram Maxim worksheets that are perfect for teaching students about Hiram Maxim who was famous for creating the first portable fully-automatic machine gun, the Maxim gun. He was an American-British inventor that held several patents on a variety of mechanical devices. This includes hair curling irons, the mousetrap, and much more.

Complete List Of Included Worksheets

  • Hiram Maxim Facts
  • Maxim’s Profile
  • Maxim’s History
  • Maxim vs Gatling
  • Jumbled Gun
  • The Great Advice
  • Questions of Hiram
  • The Great Inventions
  • Crossword Trap
  • Filling the Iron
  • Maxim’s Words

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Use With Any Curriculum

These worksheets have been specifically designed for use with any international curriculum. You can use these worksheets as-is, or edit them using Google Slides to make them more specific to your own student ability levels and curriculum standards.

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