It’s Valentine’s Day once again! While I hope that you’re getting ready for celebrations with your spouse, I want to remind you that today is also the birthday of one of America’s great loves, John Moses Browning’s illustrious 1911.
Fun Fact, the 1911 was in fact patented by John Moses Browning on Valentines Day of 1911. pic.twitter.com/NnQ2vWdZCF
— Doc Strangelove (@DocStrangelove2) February 14, 2026
Just a reminder that today is a special one.
— Jack Carr (@JackCarrUSA) February 14, 2026
I woke up this morning and wished my beautiful wife a happy 1911 Day. Today is February 14, the day John Moses Browning was awarded the patent for his iconic pistol design that would become known as the 1911.
Don’t forget to wish… pic.twitter.com/3NlD0VZ1Rw
Happy 1911 Patent Day 🇺🇸💕
— Guns.com (@Guns_com) February 14, 2026
On this day in 1911, John Moses Browning was issued patent number 984,519 for his .45 caliber self-loading handgun design.
The rest, as they say, is history.#purveyorsoffreedom #fuelyourfreedom pic.twitter.com/r1UzhnY4I0
Browning was issued the patent, No. 984,519, on this day back 115 short years ago, and firearms and military history would be forever changed through that innovation. While I’m a diehard Glock guy myself, I can’t help but love the classic piece of military americana. More than 7 million official 1911s have been produced, with countless other unlicensed copies out there as well. My particular favorite copy is the Argentine Ballester-Molina, which, after 80 years, is still one of the nicest guns that I’ve ever handled.
31 countries, as large as the United States and as small as Fiji, still use the 1911 in their military and police forces in some capacity, it has been used in more wars than I care to count, and the platform has even been modernized into a double-stack 9mm dubbed the “2011.” Perhaps the only other firearm that could compete with its iconic nature would be the commie AK-47. For our Virginian friends, the 1911 may soon be the only gun that they are allowed to possess.
Happy 115th birthday to the winner of two World Wars. Here’s to another 115 years.
