January 4

Christopher Colt was a farmer in Connecticut in the early years of the 19th century. In 1822, he abandoned agriculture to go into the business of manufacturing textiles. He, his wife and their three sons and three daughters moved to Hartford. To celebrate one son’s 11th birthday Colt gave the child a pistol. The child’s name was Samuel and that birthday gift made such an impression on him that it would set him on the path to success. On the 4th in 1847, Samuel Colt would sell his first pistol, a revolver, to the United States government. His company, Colt’s Patent Fire-arms Manufacturing Company, is today one of the largest manufacturers of firearms.