Double Barrel Cannon

Even though modern firearms have come a long way, the double barrel shotgun is still regarded as a powerful and serious weapon. If you want a character to look badass in a movie, give him a double barrel shotgun. Additionally, the double barrel cannon's development at the time likely reflected some of the same ideas. A double barrel cannon would have been impressive if a regular cannon is dreadful.

A Double Barrel Cannon seems advantageous on paper. However, the truth was not quite the same. A destructive Scythe-like weapon was intended to be created by firing two cannonballs connected by a chain in the first test, but it failed miserably since it spun and sliced through everything in its path. Unfortunately, if neither cannonball fires at precisely the same time, you wind up destroying the cannon and everyone nearby.

The Civil War is said to have seen one test firing of such a cannon. Before the chain broke, the cannonballs destroyed an acre of cornfields, with one of them launching into a field and killing a cow. The cannon was never used again because it was too difficult to operate. You can still see it today at the Athens-Clarke County City Hall in Georgia.

Country of origin: Georgia