The rebound slide can be bounced out of engagement by inertia if the gun is dropped. The key incident was in 1944 when a .38 M&P Victory Model went off when dropped on the deck of a ship and killed a sailor. S&W redesigned the hammer block - they had hammer blocks since as early as 1905 or even 1902, but not absolutely positive in action - to prevent accidental discharge.
Colt's hammer block, introduced in the 1905-1908 time frame, was always positive in action, the reason for naming guns with it "Pocket Positive" and "Police Positive." They didn't rename the New Service or New Army, though.
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