Samuel Colt (nonfiction)

Samuel Colt.

Samuel Colt (July 19, 1814 – January 10, 1862) was an American inventor and industrialist from Hartford, Connecticut. He founded Colt's Patent Fire-Arms Manufacturing Company (today Colt's Manufacturing Company), and made the mass production of the revolver commercially viable.

Colt's first two business ventures were producing firearms in Paterson, New Jersey and making underwater mines; both ended in disappointment.

Colt was granted a United States patent for the Colt revolver on January 24, 1836.

His business expanded rapidly after 1847, when the Texas Rangers ordered 1,000 revolvers during the American war with Mexico.

During the American Civil War, his factory in Hartford supplied firearms both to the North and the South. Later, his firearms were prominent during the settling of the western frontier.

Colt died in 1862 as one of the wealthiest men in America.

Colt's manufacturing methods were at the forefront of the Industrial Revolution. His use of interchangeable parts helped him become one of the first to use the assembly line efficiently.

Moreover, his innovative use of art, celebrity endorsements, and corporate gifts to promote his wares made him a pioneer in the fields of advertising, product placement, and mass marketing.

Nonfiction cross-reference

• Weapon (nonfiction)

External links:

• Samuel Colt @ Wikipedia