By the 19th century, European gun technology had improved dramatically, especially with the introduction of the Maxim machine gun, which allowed Europeans to wipe out Africans in battle after battle. Of course, machine guns were effective when wielded by Africans, too, but Africans had fewer of them. Oh, it's time for the open letter? And my chair is back! An open letter to Hiram Maxim. But first, let's see what's in the secret compartment today. Oh, it's Darth Vader!