And this is fascinating ... I had no idea they go back this far, and B&D were pioneers...
https://theconversation.com/powerful...ustralia-81473
Before Alonzo G. Decker and Samuel D. Black intervened in the 1910s, the machines typically required the use of both hands. The two men, founders of the eponymous American company Black & Decker, developed a portable electric drill that incorporated a pistol grip and trigger switch, apparently inspired by Samuel Colt’s pistol.