Hiram Maxim

The Maxim Gun, was the first portable, fully automatic machine gun and its invention was revolutionary. Maxim's inventiveness led him to patent designs for mechanical devices as diverse as a mouse trap, steam pump and hair-curling tongs; Maxim laid claim to inventing the light bulb but this is not widely given credence. He was deeply interested in powered flight, although his efforts were not successful. To fund these efforts he invented a fairground ride which was massively successful and is still used today, the "Captive Flying Machine"