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Turtle
The American Turtle was the first documented submarine to be used in combat. It was designed to attatch explosives to British ships during the Revolutionary War. Unfortunatley, it was sunk along with its transport ship in 1776. -
Shrapnel Shells
Lieutenant Shrapnel began to develope this technology in 1784. He combined the scattered, Shotgud dispersal of a case shot with a time delay. It more than trippled the range of a canister shot and was more destructive. It was adoped by the British artilleray in 1803 and was first used in combat in 1804 against the Dutch at Fort Amsterdam in Surinam. -
Colt Revolver
Samuel Colt invented the first revolver. He was granted a patent in 1836 . The revolving cylendar generally held six bullets while most guns in this time were single shot. This developement assisted westward expansion on the frontier. A Colt revolver was the choice millitary side arm through WWII. -
UAV
The Austrians attacked Venice with unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) that were explosive loaded balloons on August 22, 1849. This was the earliest recorded use of this technology. -
Repeating Rifle
This breech-loading rifle was invented by Walter B. Hunt. He created a new lever action repeating rifle. It became known as the Winchester. -
Period: to
Civil War
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USS Monitor
The first iron clad warship was the USS Monitor commissioned by the U.S. Navy during the Civil War. It participated in the Battle of Hampton Roads against the Confederate CSS Virginia on March 9th, 1862, which was the first battle between ironclad ships. -
Montigny Mitrailleuse
This was a manually fired multi-barrel weapon was invented in Belgium in 181 by Captain Fafschamps. It is also known as a grape shot shooter in English. It was developed further throughout the 1850’s by Louis Christophe and Joseph Montigny who completed the Montigny mitrailleuse in 1863. This weapon was a precursor to the modern machine gun. -
Maxim Gun
The Maxim Gun was created by Sir Hiram Stevens Maxim in 1884. It was the first fully auto machine gun. It ejects the cartridge and loads the next bullet using the energy from the recoil. It could fire 500 shots per minute, and it greatly increased British military power. -
Tanks
Tanks are armored vehicles designed for front-line fighting. Great Britain and France developed tanks during world war one to gain an advantage in trench warfare. The first use in combat was by the British on September 15, 1916 in the Battle of the Somme. -
Poisoned Gas
The first use of chlorine gas was used on the battlefield during the stand still trench warfare of WWI. It was first developed by the French and then it was adopted by the Germans. -
Period: to
WWI
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Mustard Gas
This noxious gas was first used against the Russians at Riga through artillery shells. It was effective but also made the area dangerous for trench take over. -
Period: to
WWII
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The Manhattan Project
It developed the first atomic bomb during WWII. The Manhattan project conducted weapons experiments and supported medical radiology. This research program was led by the United States, Britain, and Canada Its legacy lies in laboratories across the country and its scientific discoveries. -
Atomic Reaction
Nuclear fission breaks apart atoms while Nuclear fusion bonds atoms together. Nuclear reactions can generate one million times more power than chemical reactions. This is claimed in a French patent from 1939. -
Trinity
The first nuclear detonation was in New Mexico. It is known as Trinity and is considered the beginning of the Atomic Age. -
Nuclear Submarine
The Nautilus was the first nuclear submarine. It greatly changed naval warfare. It could travel many thousands of miles below the surface with a single fuel charge. -
Kevlar
Kevlar is a high strengh low weight material that was used to make some of the first modern body armor. It is concealable and very practical for military and law enforcement. -
Taser
Tasers are non lethal weapons that use electricity to disrupt muscular control. They were introduced for police forces, but are commercially popular. The M-26 Taser is the military version. -
Anti-Satellite Laser
Anti-satellite weapons (ASAT) were made to incapacitate and/or destroy satellites for military purposes. Currently, only the United States, Russia, and China are known to have developed these. -
Active Denial System
The Active Denial System (ADS) is a non-lethal weapon developed by the US military, It is also called the heat ray because it works through directing heat energy at its target. It is designed for perimeter and crowd control. The target would feel intense heat and pain, but be physically unharmed. -
Pulsed Energy Projectile
This non-lethal weapon creates a pulse that can knock the target of his feet, stunned. Its invisible laser is said to work over 2 kilometers. The electromagnetic radiation causes pain and temporary paralysis. -
Period: to
Iraq War
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Metal Storm
This is an Australian research developement in superposed loading which means firing multiple bullets at one time.
