Bill, Parabellum means 'for war'. Here is some history behind the caliber:
George Luger and the 9mm Parabellum
The most globally-prevalent handgun cartridge, the 9x19mm (or 9mm Parabellum), was
created in 1902 to meet criteria established by the German Navy. The development
history went something like this:
Around 1893 Hugo Borchardt (of Sharps-Borchardt fame) sold an automatic pistol
invention to Ludwig Loewe of Berlin, Germany. This action was capable of chambering
high-velocity smokeless powder cartridges and the resulting Loewe-Borchardt pistol was
produced in 7.65x25mm (.30 Mauser or 7.63 Mauser). Ludwig Loewe's company merged
with Germany's DMK to form Deutsche Waffen und Munitions Fabriken (DWM).
In 1897 George Luger, an employee of DWM, demonstrated the Loewe-Borchardt pistol to
the US Army. Using constructive criticism provided by the Army's rejection, DWM and
George Luger substantially redesigned the Borchardt action and its cartridge. The result
was unveiled in 1898 as the Luger pistol in 7.65x22mm (.30 Luger or 7.65 Luger). It was
immediately adopted by the Swiss government.
Several years later the German Navy officially rejected the 7.65x22mm cartridge. As a
result DWM developed the 9x19mm Parabellum cartridge in 1902. The 9mm cartridge and
the 9mm Luger pistol were adopted by the German Navy in 1904. The German Army
accepted them in 1908.
Two enduring designs for 9mm pistols arrived on the scene 30 years later:
Browning's M1935 High Power (1935) and Walther's "double action" P38 (1938).
Hope this helps!
Steve Mace
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After today, its all historical
