Not all influential individuals are widely recognized by name, and Gaston Glock, the mind behind the Glock pistol, was one of those impactful figures. The Austrian inventor recently departed, but his legacy endures.
As per an announcement on December 27 by his company, Glock has passed away. The accomplished billionaire engineer had a remarkable life narrative. Born in Vienna, Austria, in 1929, he found himself conscripted into the Wehrmacht, Adolf Hitler’s military, towards the end of World War II. Despite being compelled into service, he did not align with the Nazi cause.
After the war ended, Glock assumed control of a car radiator factory. Alongside his first wife, Helga Glock, they managed a small venture in their garage, producing curtain rods, knives, and door hinges. It was in 1980 when Glock chanced upon a conversation between two Austrian Army officers discussing a potential contract for a new pistol. Captivated, he chose to participate in the dialogue.
Subsequently, in his fifties, Glock engaged in discussions with military specialists and proceeded to create a lightweight 9mm semiautomatic pistol. This firearm incorporated plastic components and had the capacity to discharge 18 rounds. Users could effortlessly reload the weapon through a magazine integrated into its handle.
Glock engineered the gun to maintain functionality even when subjected to scenarios like being dropped on concrete, left in a pile of snow, or soaked in water. Furthermore, it boasted simplicity and cost-effectiveness in production.
The Glock pistol is currently employed in 48 countries, and it is the choice of two-thirds of police departments across America. This firearm frequently makes appearances in television shows, movies, and music videos.
Despite the global success of Glock’s gun, which brought him substantial wealth, he was not one to seek the spotlight. In 1999, he unexpectedly became a headline figure when Charles Ewert, one of his financial advisers, embezzled money from him and then enlisted a French mercenary to assassinate him.
Glock, at the age of 67, resisted and successfully incapacitated the assailant. Ewert and his unsuccessful accomplice were subsequently convicted of attempted murder and sentenced to prison.
In 2011, Glock underwent a divorce from his first wife and entered into matrimony with Kathrin Tschikof, a woman in her 30s. This initiated various legal disputes with his former spouse. He is survived by his three children and his second wife.
