U.S. Patent No. 138 for the Revolving-Cylinder Pistol

The revolver marked the dawn of the modern firearms industry. Samuel Colt

And I hate missing important dates.

On February 25, 1836, the American inventor [Samuel Colt] received U.S. Patent No. 138 (later 9430X) for his revolving-cylinder pistol.

By 1856 - just in time to supply the Civil War - he had standardized/interchangeable parts, where guns had previously been hand-crafted one-off creations, and he could produce 150 guns per day.

The following is attributed to an unnamed Texas lawman from the 1800s. Supposedly it was engraved on his Peacemaker

“Be not afraid of any man;
No matter what his size;
When danger threatens, call on me—
And I will equalize!”

While nominally still in business, the company started by Colt was purchased by the Czech firm Česká zbrojovka Group (now Colt CZ Group SE) in 2021.

The image above is of a Colt 1851 Navy black powder revolver. The Peacemaker wouldn't come along until 1872, and it is still in production. (Hat tip to EBL)

And because Colt invented the revolver, EBL can now bring us Girls With Guns. She does that every Saturday.