Objects as History

Present to 1960’s

After President William McKinley was assassinated in 1901, the US military explored the use of soft body armor as well. The silk-derived garments were shown to be effective against low-velocity bullets, but not the new generation of handgun ammunition. The US military decided against silk armor because of this, combined with the high price of silk.

The flak jacket was invented during World War II. It was made from ballistic nylon and provided protection from ammunition fragments. Flak jackets were bulky and ineffective against most rifle and pistol fire, but they were widely used, as they provided some modicum of protection and allowed soldiers to feel secure.

 

In the 1960s, new fibers were discovered that made truly bullet resistant vests possible. In the early 1970s, DuPont’s Kevlar ballistic fabric was invented. The fabric was originally intended to replace steel belting in tires, and it was extremely strong. Waterproofing and additional layers of fabric were added to the Kevlar to make the vests more durable and wearable. The National Institute of Justice tested versions of Kevlar vests for several years, and found that the vests could stop the most common lead bullets: 38 Specials and 22 Long Rifle Bullets.

A final phase of testing monitored Kevlar armor’s effectiveness. Kevlar armor was found to ensure a 95% probability of survival after being hit with a .38 caliber bullet at a velocity of 800 ft/second. The probability of requiring surgery after being hit by a projectile was found to be 10% or less.

In 1976, scientists came to the conclusion that Kevlar was bullet-resistant, wearable and light enough for police officers to wear full-time. The funny thing was that bulletproof vests had

already become commercially available, even before the National Institute of Justice published these claims.

Since that time bulletproof vests have improved. Currently, a level IIIA bulletproof vest weighs approximately 5.5 pounds and can protect the wearer from almost all handgun rounds. According to the International Association of Chiefs of Police, bulletproof vests have saved over 3,000 officers' lives since 1987.

Bronze Age -2300BC

The lighter, tougher, harder bronze heralded in an era of tools and weapons which far outstripped the advantages of stone and copper. This improved weaponry begged the need for improvements in armour. Indeed, this age saw the emergence of prototype armour of all forms yet to come. As a simplification of the Bronze Age we could look at Ancient Greece. The Greek hoplite wore a solid plate cuirass (breast and back plate) of bronze, along with greaves (shin guards) and a full faced helmet. With the addition of a large shield, this armour provided an excellent defense for its age.

13th century Italian

Early plate in Italy, and elsewhere in the 13th–15th century, were made of iron. Iron armour could be carburised or case hardened to give a surface of harder steel. Plate armour became cheaper than mail by the 15th century as it required much less labour and labour had become much more expensive after the Black Death, though it did require larger furnaces to produce larger blooms.

Heavily armoured riders and their barded war horses, 16th century

Probably the most recognised style of armour in the world became the plate armour associated with the knights of the European Late Middle Ages, but continuing to the early 17th century Age of Enlightenment in all European countries.

By about 1400 the full harness of plate armour had been developed in armouries of Lombardy. Heavy cavalry dominated the battlefield for centuries in part because of their armour.

In the early years of low velocity firearms, full suits of armour, or breast plates actually stopped bullets fired from a modest distance. Crossbow bolts, if still used, would seldom penetrate good plate, nor would any bullet unless fired from close range. In effect, rather than making plate armour obsolete, the use of firearms stimulated the development of plate armour into its later stages. 1

1 http://nsms6thgradesocialstudies.weebly.com/maps-of-ancient-greece.html

Stone Age

Throughout history, people have protected themselves from injury with different types of materials. In the earliest days, people used animal skins as barriers to injury and attacks. As weaponry advanced, they added wooden and metal shields to their defensive arsenals.2

Since ancient times, the hides of wild and domesticated animals have been part of the important treasure trove of materials used by people all-over the world, and the that apply also to Africa. Above all, leather is one of the oldest materials used in Africa, in the making of clothing and utensils by nomadic, hunting and pastoral African tribes.

The number of different kinds of wild animals whose hides had been used in the making of armour is so great that it appears impossible to list them all. Naturally, hides with the largest possible size, stiffness and thickness (buffalo, hippopotamus, rhinoceros, elephant, giraffe etc) were particularly preferred for the making of shields and include the hides of zebra, gnu and the back of various kinds of antelope, however, by contrast the extremely strong cuirass of a crocodile or the hide of its soft underbelly were only sporadically used by African people due to the many superstitions relating to crocodiles.

2 Accessed on 06/03/18, The history of the bulletproof vest, https://bulletsafe.com/pages/the-history-of-bulletproof-vests

3

As a generalization we can look at people in the early Stone Age as people using whatever means they had at their disposal to survive. The “naked ape” didn’t have the thick skin or fur, fangs or claws to hunt or defend himself. He was however a resourceful tool user, and used whatever stick, stone, horn or antler at his disposal to dig up, bludgeon, stab or whatever, to procure his next meal for him and his loved ones. These tools/weapons where also useful to dispatch any human or humans who threatened this poor man’s family stability or has someway offended him. Sticks or stones do break your bones when swung with sufficient velocity. Early man learned this lesson well. It was also discovered that the animal skins and woven plant fibers while providing insulating warmth and protection against the elements, also provided a pretty decent protection against the sticks and stones flung by his hostile neighbor. Hence the first armour tended to be heavy padding in the form of animal skins and fiber “mats” to repel the hack or slash of Stone Age weaponry. This is the beginning of an arms race which continues to this day.4

3 https://bhowc.wordpress.com/2006/03/31/the-stone-age/4 History of Armour; by Rob Martin, https://www.thak.ca/history-of-armour-by-robb-martin/