In the civil war, the commander of the Union “lightning brigade” personally took out a loan to buy his soldiers advanced new repeating rifles because the government would not supply them. Using the firepower advantage afforded by the new rifles, his brigade proved extremely effective in combat.
guns
The WWII era B-29 bomber…
The WWII era B-29 bomber didn’t require fighter escorts because it had a computer aided gunnery systems that allowed incredible firing accuracy against attackers. One B-29 was attacked by 79 fighters at once, but was able to fight them off and down 7 of them in the process.
During combat, a US Marine…
During combat, a US Marine’s rifle jammed, so he called customer service to help him fix it.
In 1917 you could order…
In 1917 you could order a belt-fed machine gun from a Sears catalog: “Machine guns are used largely by police organizations, home guards and municipalities in case of riots.”
During the WW1 Germans protested against the use of shotguns…
During the WW1 Germans protested against the use of shotguns in trenches by the Americans arguing Hague Convention forbid to employ arms that cause unnecessary suffering.
In Japan, you are equally likely to die from being…
In Japan, you are equally likely to die from being struck by lightning as you are from being shot by a gun.
The New Orleans EMS has a policy stating that all EMS must…
The New Orleans EMS has a policy stating that all EMS must wear their Kevlar helmets between 11:45 pm and 12:15 am on New Year’s Eve.
In Franklin D. Roosevelt’s original plans for the United Nations…
In Franklin D. Roosevelt’s original plans for the United Nations, the Four Policemen (the US, UK, Soviet Union, and China) were the only nations allowed to possess weapons more powerful than a rifle.
A Pennsylvania man shot a gun into his neighbor’s house while trying…
A Pennsylvania man shot a gun into his neighbor’s house while trying to clear the chamber. He stated in court that firing the gun was the only way he knew to unload it.
Gaston Glock, designer of Glock pistols, made prototypes and test-fired…
Gaston Glock, designer of Glock pistols, made prototypes and test-fired them with his left hand; if he was maimed by an explosion, he could still draw blueprints with his right.