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Gr 6 Up—The history of the Thompson submachine gun is the story of a tumultuous period in American history, marked by Prohibition, the Great Depression, two world wars, and violence. Originally developed by John Thompson as a lightweight, automatic rifle to be used by American soldiers, the Tommy gun was invented in 1918—too late for mass distribution during World War I—and wasn't officially adopted by the U.S. Army until World War II. Very quickly, however, the gun that was "built for the battlefie...Log In or Sign Up to Read More

In this biography of a gun and the times in which it lived, Blumenthal traces the Thompson submachine gun, a.k.a. the Tommy. After the Spanish-American War, an Army officer, John Thompson, believed that America needed a lightweight, automatic, hand-held rifle in order to be prepared for the next conflict. The Army did not share his opinion, so he left the service and developed his own weapon, completed with superior bad timing on Armistice Day in 191...Log In or Sign Up to Read More

This biography of a gun traces the Thompson submachine gun (a.k.a. the Tommy) from its 1918 invention--by former Army officer John Thompson ...Log In or Sign Up to Read More

Meticulously researched and compelling, this fascinating narrative will engage diverse readers-those interested in American history, military history, inventors and inventions, weapons, crime, and the law and civil liberties. The book highlights a dilemma not often shown in works about inventions and their inventors: the discrepancy between the inventors' intentions for their creations versus how the inventions are actually used. In this case, John Talliaferro Thompson designed the Tommy gun for U.S. soldiers to win World War I, not as a go-to weapon for gangsters and terrorists. Karen Blumenth...Log In or Sign Up to Read More