Germany has produced numerous renowned inventors responsible for the creation of companies and a myriad of products and devices. One such innovator was Peter Paul Mauser, founder of the famous Mauser weapons company and inventor of Mauser Model 1871 rifle.
Paul Mauser was born on June 27th, 1838, in the city of Oberndorf am Neckar, at that time located in the state of Baden. His father and brothers were all gunsmiths, and he followed in their footsteps. At that time, Germany was undergoing rapid industrialization and the demand for more and better weapons created a climate in which gunsmiths could expand their businesses and innovate. In 1871, he designed the Mauser Model 1871 Rifle, the first of a line of successful rifles which included several advances to the bolt-action technology. He helped design later rifles including the Gewehr 98 and the Karabiner 98k along with smokeless cartridges. His brother Wilhelm Mauser conducted most of the administration of the company. The Mauser company became one of the largest German arms manufacturers, although perhaps not as important as the artillery producer Krupp arms. Paul Mauser died in 1914.
Paul Mauser was one of the many German industrialists who became notable amidst Germany industrialization in the second half of the 19th century. Just as the United States has McCormick, Gatling, Morse, and many others, Germany has its own inventors who should be remembered for the advances they made.
German History 