The Thompson Chicago Typewriter Turns 100

By Justin Stakes

Greeley, PA -(AmmoLand.com)- When John T. Thompson first began researching a portable hand-held automatic weapon in 1915 little did he know that he would be changing history forever.

Now, 100 years later, the Thompson semi-automatic rifle, also referred to as the Chicago Typewriter, is commonly known to everyone across the globe.

John T. Thompson was born in Newport, Kentucky on December 31, 1860. His father, a graduate of West Point, served as Lt. Colonel during the civil war and, John, following in his father’s footsteps, also graduated from West Point and served in the Army. It was while he was in the Army that Thompson went to engineering and artillery schools and began researching small arms. He was later assigned to the Army Ordnance Department in 1890 as a 2nd Lieutenant and was responsible for arming and dispersing of weapons during the Spanish-American war.

During WWI, before the U.S. became involved, Thompson saw the need to assist the allies with better artillery, so he retired from the Army to dedicate his time to develop a fully automatic weapon. By 1916, while employed as Chief Engineer at Remington Arms, he created a …Read the Rest

Source:: AmmoLand