Gatling, Richard Jordan. Born in 1818. American inventor, a doctor by profession. In 1850 he invented a double-acting hemp-brake and, in 1857, a steam plough. But his most noted invention was that of the revolving gun which bears his name, the conception of which came to him in 1861. In 1865 the gun was improved and tested, and was forthwith brought into use by the United States service. Several European governments also adopted it. Among Gatling's later inventions were an improved method of casting steel cannon and a pneumatic gun for discharging explosives. Gatling died in 1903.

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