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When was the Colt revolver patented?

The celebrated six-shooter of the American West was named after its inventor, Samuel Colt (1814-1862). Colt first patented his weapon in England and France in 1835, then in the United States the following year. (A patent is a government document granting an inventor the sole right to manufacture his or her invention.) The first company formed by Colt to manufacture his revolver failed in 1842, due to slow sales. Consequently the guns, made by hand, were expensive and attracted only limited orders. In 1847, the American government ordered 1,000 pistols for use in the war against Mexico (1846-48). This enabled Colt to finally set up a manufacturing plant in Hartford, Connecticut.

Sources: "Colt, Samuel." Encyclopaedia Britannica CD 97; New Illustrated Science and Invention Encyclopedia, vol. 24, p. 3241.

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