A French artillery invention from 1906

A French officer directing the artillery fire in 1906. 

The French have always had a talent for innovations and inventions.This French artillery invention on wheels was introduced in the beginning of the 20th century. It made it easier for an artillery officer, who was standing on a 5 meter high steel ladder, to direct the artillery fire during a battle. I have not seen any information about the actual use of this early "mega Segway". One drawback, from the officer's point of view, could have been, that he was also a fairly easy target for enemy sharpshooters.

Here, and here, are a few other French inventions from the same era.

An early photograph of the cannons at West Point

The cannons at West Point facing the Hudson River, photographed in the 1880s.

West Point is the most famous military academy in the U.S. - and probably in the world. But as the history page of the academy tells us, the role of West Point in the history of the U.S. dates back to the Revolutionary War:

 General George Washington considered West Point to be the most important strategic position in America. Washington personally selected Thaddeus Kosciuszko, one of the heroes of Saratoga, to design the fortifications for West Point in 1778, and Washington transferred his headquarters to West Point in 1779. Continental soldiers built forts, batteries and redoubts and extended a 150-ton iron chain across the Hudson to control river traffic. Fortress West Point was never captured by the British, despite Benedict Arnold's treason. West Point is the oldest continuously occupied military post in America.