The Invasion of Benin The Maxim Gun was the first fully automatic machine gun in the world. First conceived in 1882 by Hiram Maxim, the gun was the era's most deadly weapon and it is no surprise that its release happened about the same time the Europeans had their 'scramble for Africa' meeting as this deadly weapon was primarily used first on Africans, then elsewhere in Asia and the South Pacific. Though the inventor of the Maxim Gun was American, the gun was so effective in Britain slaughter at the so-called 'colonies' empire, Queen Victoria bestowed a knighthood on the inventor in 1900. For the invasion of Benin Empire, the English were particularly eager to use this new weapons of mass destruction, bringing as many as 14 into the kingdom from Gwatto, with twice as much k24 more) waiting on the ships at the port of (Gwatto) should need be. Following the newly invented and deadly Maxim guns into Benin City on that week in 1897 was '1400 soldiers, more than...