Since antiquity, soldiers have worn protective clothing while in combat. The earliest type of body armor was usually a cloak layered with leather, wood, or shells. With their advanced ability to work with metals, the Greeks made large bronze plates to cover parts of the body. The plates for the chest and back were joined by suspenders over the shoulders. In addition, they created springy metal shin guards and fancy helmets. Around 300 b.c. the Romans created the first known examples of mail, a series of interlocked metal rings. They later crafted the lorica seamentata , metal plates shaped to encircle the body while allowing freedom for arm movements. By the first century a.d., Roman soldiers wore iron helmets equipped with large cheek pieces and a neck guard. During the Middle Ages, armor grew in sophistication and usage. Knights wore long metal coats of mail, called hauberks (the Norman term) or byrnies (the English term), which hung from the neck to the knees. The coat of mail often came in varying configurations: woven rings, rings sewn upon leather or cotton, overlapping scales of leather, small plates sewn to canvas, or thick cotton padded and quilted in squares. They were so heavy it took two men to carry one. Helmets were equipped with nose guards that hid the face so well it was often impossible to tell who the leader was unless he took off the helmet in battle. Other metal pieces protected the head, but, surprisingly enough, there was no armor for the legs or feet. As more sophisticated weapons came into existence, extra protection from them became essential. During the thirteenth century, metal plates were added to cover such vulnerable points as the knees, elbows, shins, and forearms. Horses were also armored, either with mail or with quilted fabric. By the end of the thirteenth century horses too wore plate armor. Armor advanced in Europe in the fourteenth century to protect against the increasing power of the bow.
Gloves made of metal, called gauntlets, became standard, replacing earlier chain mail mittens. The well-equipped fighter now protected his entire body with plate armor. In Germany and Austria another type of body armor appeared; it had raised ridges to deflect enemy weapons and weighed nearly sixty pounds. The effectiveness of body armor became obsolete following the introduction of gunpowder and firearms. Soldiers soon discovered that even crude guns could fire bullets capable of penetrating most armor plates. Thicker armor was not the answer, for it reduced the wearer to nearly total immobility. By the end of the seventeenth century, most European armies had abandoned the use of armor. However, it remained popular among the Indians, Persians, Turks, and Japanese. With the advent of trench warfare during World War I, the necessity of wearing body protection in battle returned. Soldiers vulnerable to head wounds due to flying shrapnel were equipped with tin hats or steel helmets. Machine gunners and snipers wore back and breast plates in addition to helmets. Tank crews were issued metal plates for the upper face and a short curtain of mail for the mouth and chin. Since then, soldiers have increased their reliance upon armor. Shell fragments caused enough injuries in World War II to create a need for metal reinforced garments made of steel, aluminum, or glass fiber plates combined with heavy nylon. Bomber crews wore flak jackets and bulletproof vests to protect them from enemy anti-aircraft fire. Today, body armor is manufactured with aluminum oxide and boron carbide ceramics in order to lessen the weight. Kevlar has been a successful addition to armored protection. Demolition experts are equipped with a special type of body armor, weighing about forty-eight pounds and complete with a cooling system.
In the late 1990s researchers at American chemical companies made significant advances in bullet-resistant mateials. They produced a highly flexible, breathable material out of aramid fiber layered with polyethylene yarn that was considered ten times stronger than steel, and so lightweight that a bullet-proof vest weighed only three pounds. This material advance led to the creation of ordinary garments, including slacks and brasiers, that were highly bullet-proof. While the bulk of armored clothing is used by military and law enforcement personnel, it is available to civilians, who form a growing market.
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