The first true machine gun was invented by Hiram Maxim in the United Kingdom.
The first was the gatling gun invented in 1862
Maxim
Many folks credit Dr. Gatling.
First, it is not a machine gun, regardless of how it is marked. Second, most likely made around the turn of the century.
Machine guns, as we think of them today, were invented by Hiram Maxim. There were earlier battery guns (many barrels firing at once) but the Maxim machine gun was the first to use the energy of a fired cartridge to operate the gun.
The Browning M2 was first fielded in 1921 - some 12 years before the British fielded their Vickers .50 machine gun, and some 17 years before the Soviets fielded the DsHK machine gun.
While some would say the Gatling gun was the first,I consider the Maxim machine gun the first true full auto machine gun.
the Maxim machinegunMaxim machine gun.
I found this. "PRIZE MACHINE GUN and PRIZE MACHINE GUN CO. were made by Simonis, Janssen & Dumoulin who was located in Leige,Belgium from 1873 to 1914." "The name MACHINE GUN has nothing to do with a rapid fire repeating gun. It means the gun was made on machinery as opposed to being hand made and fitted."
The aircraft mounted machine gun was at first simply a ground machine mounted for a gunner to fire. All sides in WW1 used it. The first successful machine gun fired by a pilot was the Lewis machine gun on a special mounting attached to the top wing, allowing the gun to fire over the propellor.
Tommy gun