Samuel Colt: The Inventor Who Revolutionized Firearms

The son of a textile manufacturer, the inventive and enthusiastic Samuel Colt brought more efficient firearms to the masses—but not without explosions.

Colt Third Model Dragoon Percussion Revolver, circa 1853. Steel, brass, gold, and wood. Metropolitan Museum of Art. Public Domain

Then when he was 16, his father sent him to the Amherst Academy in Massachusetts to study navigation after noticing his high aptitude. While attending school, he continued to experiment heavily with explosives.

Samuel Colt never claimed to have invented the revolver, but his ingenuity forever changed the way they were designed and manufactured. Throughout his life, Colt proved his ability to overcome failure. He also reinvented how firearms were made, marketed, and sold. Although he died before he could enjoy his fortune, the company he built continues to be a pioneer in the firearm industry today.