The design of the modern revolver was patented by Samuel Colt of Hartford, Connecticut, in 1836, and in the nearly 200 years since, the revolver established itself as an iconic American firearm.
Prologue: A taste for distasteful truths -- Before the mast (1814-33). Lord's Hill ; His name was Colt ; The voyage of the Corvo ; The nitrous oxide tour -- Exertions and enterprise (1833-38). The ...