Samuel Colt (1814-62), american inventor, firt became interested in gun-powder when he was stil in school. One day he caused an explosion ate school. No one was hurt, but he still had to leave school.
At the age of sixteen he left home. He found a job as a sailor on a ship that was going to India. It was a long voyage, and the sailors had plenty of spare time.
When the other sailors spent the time carving model ships out of wood, Colt carved small wooden guns. One day while he was carving, the pilot wheel of the ship gave him and idea. As the wheel turned, he saw how he could make a gun that would fire several bullets. He had many problems with his first experimental revolver. One problem was that all the bullets exploded when the first one was fired.
But Colt did not stop experimenting, and finally he was successful. He made a gun that would fire several shots without reloading. He began to produce his repeating pistol on a large scale, and soon his invention made him a rich man.