
On February 23, 1884, Hiram Maxim, Anglo-American engineer who was working in London, presented his invention which was a machinegun capable of firing 600 bullets per minute. Maxim invented the belt feed to continually feed ammunition to his gun. He also developed a water cooling system to allow his gun to fire continuously without overheating. Maxim guns were built in many sizes and were used extensively during World War I.