Pictured above: Men of the fledgling U.S. Army Air Service break some clay pigeons with the Model 1897 trench gun at Issoudon, France, during June 1918.
Firearms technology and world history are deeply intertwined. In celebration and recognition, today's #ThrowbackThursday is all about the last century of firearms history. Let's check in with what happened in the eighth year of each decade from 1918 until today:
1918
World War I ends
U.S. Army adopts the Pedersen Device for Springfield rifle
U.S. Army adopts the Browning Automatic Rifle (BAR)
U.S. Army Air Corps adopts Marlin (Swebilius modified) Colt-Browning machine gun
Remington introduces the Model 51 semi-auto pistol
Beretta Model 1918 submachine gun (Villar Perosa action) adopted by Italian army
German Army introduces first widely issued submachine gun, the MP18/I
Zbrojovka Brno (ZB) established in Brno, Czechoslovakia
A.F. Stoeger established in New York City
1928
Production of Thompson submachine guns moves from Colt to Savage
1938
German Army adopts Walther P38 pistol to replace P08 Luger and adopts MP38 submachine gun
Beretta introduces Model 1938A submachine gun
1948
Remington introduces Model 721 bolt-action sporting rifle
Marlin modifies the Model 36 lever-action rifle into the new Model 336
1958
Savage introduces the model 110 bolt-action sporting rifle
Weatherby introduces the Mark V bolt-action sporting rifle