The Maxim Silencer was the first commercially successful firearm sound suppressor. Developed by Hiram Percy Maxim (son of Sir Hiram Stevens Maxim, who invented the Maxim machine gun) in tandem with the automobile muffler in the early 1900s, it was patented in 1909.
https://www.forgottenweapons.com/accessories/maxim-silencer/
The laymen explanation in this is beautiful.