A helmet is a form of

protective gear Personal protective equipment (PPE) is protective clothing, helmets, goggles, or other garments or equipment designed to protect the wearer's body from injury or infection. The hazards addressed by protective equipment include physical, elect ...

worn to protect the

head A head is the part of an organism which usually includes the ears, brain, forehead, cheeks, chin, eyes, nose, and mouth, each of which aid in various sensory functions such as sight, hearing, smell, and taste. Some very simple ani ...

. More specifically, a helmet complements the

skull The skull, or cranium, is typically a bony enclosure around the brain of a vertebrate. In some fish, and amphibians, the skull is of cartilage. The skull is at the head end of the vertebrate. In the human, the skull comprises two prominent ...

in protecting the human

brain The brain is an organ (biology), organ that serves as the center of the nervous system in all vertebrate and most invertebrate animals. It consists of nervous tissue and is typically located in the head (cephalization), usually near organs for ...

. Ceremonial or symbolic helmets (e.g., a policeman's helmet in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

) without protective function are sometimes worn. Soldiers wear

combat helmet A combat helmet, also called a ballistic helmet, battle helmet, or helmet system (for some Modular design, modular accessory-centric designs) is a type of helmet designed to serve as a piece of body armor intended to protect the wearer's head du ...

s, often made from

Kevlar Kevlar (para-aramid) is a strong, heat-resistant synthetic fiber, related to other aramids such as Nomex and Technora. Developed by Stephanie Kwolek at DuPont in 1965, the high-strength material was first used commercially in the early 1970s as ...

or other lightweight

synthetic fiber Synthetic fibers or synthetic fibres (in British English; see spelling differences) are fibers made by humans through chemical synthesis, as opposed to natural fibers that are directly derived from living organisms, such as plants like cott ...

s. The word ''helmet'' is derived from ''helm'', an

Old English Old English ( or , or ), or Anglo-Saxon, is the earliest recorded form of the English language, spoken in England and southern and eastern Scotland in the Early Middle Ages. It developed from the languages brought to Great Britain by Anglo-S ...

word for a protective head covering. Helmets are used for most sports (e.g.,

jockey A jockey is someone who rides horses in horse racing or steeplechase (horse racing), steeplechase racing, primarily as a profession. The word also applies to camel riders in camel racing. The word "jockey" originated from England and was used ...

American football American football, referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada and also known as gridiron football, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular American football field, field with goalposts at e ...

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey in North America) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an Ice rink, ice skating rink with Ice hockey rink, lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. Tw ...

cricket Cricket is a Bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball game played between two Sports team, teams of eleven players on a cricket field, field, at the centre of which is a cricket pitch, pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two Bail (cr ...

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...

skiing Skiing is the use of skis to glide on snow for basic transport, a recreational activity, or a competitive winter sport. Many types of competitive skiing events are recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), and the International S ...

hurling Hurling (, ') is an outdoor Team sport, team game of ancient Gaelic culture, Gaelic Irish origin, played by men and women. One of Ireland's native Gaelic games, it shares a number of features with Gaelic football, such as the field and goa ...

and

rock climbing Rock climbing is a climbing sports discipline that involves ascending climbing routes, routes consisting of natural rock in an outdoor environment, or on artificial resin climbing walls in a mostly indoor environment. Routes are documented in c ...

); dangerous work activities such as

construction Construction are processes involved in delivering buildings, infrastructure, industrial facilities, and associated activities through to the end of their life. It typically starts with planning, financing, and design that continues until the a ...

mining Mining is the Resource extraction, extraction of valuable geological materials and minerals from the surface of the Earth. Mining is required to obtain most materials that cannot be grown through agriculture, agricultural processes, or feasib ...

, riot police,

military aviation Military aviation is the design, development and use of military aircraft and other flying machines for the purposes of conducting or enabling aerial warfare, including national airlift (air cargo) capacity to provide military logistics, logist ...

, and in transportation (e.g.

motorcycle helmet A motorcycle helmet is a type of helmet used by motorcycle riders. Motorcycle helmets contribute to motorcycle safety by protecting the rider's head in the event of an impact. They reduce the risk of head injury by 69% and the risk of death by 4 ...

s and

bicycle helmet A bicycle helmet is a type of helmet designed to attenuate impacts to the head of a cycling, cyclist in collisions while minimizing side effects such as interference with peripheral vision. History History of designs A cycle helme ...

s). Since the 1990s, most helmets are made from

resin A resin is a solid or highly viscous liquid that can be converted into a polymer. Resins may be biological or synthetic in origin, but are typically harvested from plants. Resins are mixtures of organic compounds, predominantly terpenes. Commo ...

plastic Plastics are a wide range of synthetic polymers, synthetic or Semisynthesis, semisynthetic materials composed primarily of Polymer, polymers. Their defining characteristic, Plasticity (physics), plasticity, allows them to be Injection moulding ...

, which may be reinforced with fibers such as

aramid Aramid fibers, short for aromatic polyamide, are a class of heat-resistant and strong synthetic fibers. They are used in aerospace and military applications, for ballistic-rated bulletproof vest, body armor cloth, fabric and ballistic composites ...

Designs

Some British gamekeepers during the 18th and 19th centuries wore helmets made of

straw Straw is an agricultural byproduct consisting of the dry wikt:stalk, stalks of cereal plants after the grain and chaff have been removed. It makes up about half of the crop yield, yield by weight of cereal crops such as barley, oats, rice, ry ...

bound together with cut bramble. Europeans in the tropics often wore the pith helmet, developed in the mid-19th century and made of

pith Pith, or medulla, is a tissue in the stems of vascular plants. Pith is composed of soft, spongy parenchyma cells, which in some cases can store starch. In eudicotyledons, pith is located in the center of the stem. In monocotyledons, it ex ...

or cork. Military applications in the 19th–20th centuries saw a number of

leather Leather is a strong, flexible and durable material obtained from the tanning (leather), tanning, or chemical treatment, of animal skins and hides to prevent decay. The most common leathers come from cattle, sheep, goats, equine animals, buffal ...

helmets, particularly among aviators and

tank A tank is an armoured fighting vehicle intended as a primary offensive weapon in front-line ground combat. Tank designs are a balance of heavy firepower, strong armour, and battlefield mobility provided by tracks and a powerful engine; ...

crews in the early 20th century. In the early days of the

automobile A car, or an automobile, is a motor vehicle with wheels. Most definitions of cars state that they run primarily on roads, Car seat, seat one to eight people, have four wheels, and mainly transport private transport#Personal transport, peopl ...

, some motorists also adopted this style of headgear, and early

football helmet A football helmet is a type of protective headgear used mainly in gridiron football, although a structural variation has occasional use in Australian rules football. It consists of a hard plastic shell with thick padding on the inside, a Face ma ...

s were also made of leather. In

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, American, Soviet, German, Italian and French flight crews wore leather helmets, the German pilots disguising theirs under a beret before disposing of both and switching to cloth caps. The era of the First and Second World Wars also saw a resurgence of metal military helmets, most notably the Brodie helmet and the

Stahlhelm The ''Stahlhelm'' (German for "''steel helmet''") is a term used to refer to a series of German steel combat helmet designs intended to protect the wearer from common battlefield hazards such as shrapnel. The armies of the great powers began ...

. Modern helmets have a much wider range of applications, including helmets adapted to the specific needs of many athletic pursuits and work environments, and these helmets very often incorporate plastics and other synthetic materials for their light weight and shock absorption capabilities. Some types of synthetic fibers used to make helmets in the 21st century include

fibers, such as

and

Twaron Twaron (a brand name of Teijin Aramid) is a para-aramid, high-performance yarn. It is a heat-resistant fibre, helps in ballistic protection and cut protection. Twaron was developed in the early 1970s by the Dutch company Akzo Nobel's division E ...

. Race car helmets include a head and neck support system that keeps the helmet (and head) attached to the body in severe collisions.

Helmet types

Helmets of many different types have developed over time. Most early helmets had military uses, though some may have had more ceremonial than combat applications. Two important helmet types to develop in antiquity were the Corinthian helmet and the Roman galea. During the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and ...

, many different military helmets and some ceremonial helmets were developed, almost all being metal. Some of the more important medieval developments included the

great helm The great helm or heaume, also called pot helm, bucket helm and barrel helm, is a helmet of the High Middle Ages which arose in the late twelfth century in the context of the Crusades and remained in use until the fourteenth century. The barreled ...

, the

bascinet The bascinet – also bassinet, basinet, or bazineto – was a Medieval European open-faced combat helmet. It evolved from a type of iron or steel Cervelliere, skullcap, but had a more pointed apex to the skull, and it extended downwards at ...

, the frog-mouth helm, and the armet. The great seal of

Owain Glyndŵr Owain ap Gruffydd (28 May 135420 September 1415), commonly known as Owain Glyndŵr (Glyn Dŵr, , anglicised as Owen Glendower) was a Welsh people, Welsh leader, soldier and military commander in the Wales in the late Middle Ages, late Middle ...

(c. 1359 – c. 1415) depicts the prince of

Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...

and his stallion wearing full

armour Armour (Commonwealth English) or armor (American English; see American and British English spelling differences#-our, -or, spelling differences) is a covering used to protect an object, individual, or vehicle from physical injury or damage, e ...

, they both wear protective headgear with Owain's gold

dragon A dragon is a Magic (supernatural), magical legendary creature that appears in the folklore of multiple cultures worldwide. Beliefs about dragons vary considerably through regions, but European dragon, dragons in Western cultures since the Hi ...

mounted on top. This would have been impractical in battle, so therefore these would have been ceremonial. In the 19th century, more materials were incorporated, namely leather, felt and

. The pith helmet and the leather

pickelhaube The (; , ; from , and , , a general word for "headgear"), also , is a spiked leather or metal helmet that was worn in the 19th and 20th centuries by Prussian and German soldiers of all ranks, as well as firefighters and police. Although it ...

were important 19th century developments. The greatest expansion in the variety of forms and composition of helmets, however, took place in the 20th century, with the development of highly specialized helmets for a multitude of athletic and professional applications, as well as the advent of modern plastics. During

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, the French army developed the Adrian helmet, the British developed the Brodie helmet, and the Germans produced the

The development of

hard hat A hard hat is a type of helmet predominantly used in hazardous environments such as industrial or construction sites to protect the Human head, head from injury due to falling objects (such as tools and debris), impact with other objects, and ...

s for workplace safety may have been inspired by the helmets of WWI, and they have become a standard type of safety equipment on many construction job sites and industrial locations. Flight helmets were also developed throughout the 20th century. A multitude of athletic helmets, including

s, batting helmets, hockey helmets, cricket helmets,

s, ski helmets,

s and racing helmets, were also developed in the 20th century. Helmets since the mid-20th century have often incorporated lightweight plastics and other synthetic materials, and their use has become highly specialized. Some important recent developments include the French SPECTRA helmet, Spanish MARTE helmet or the American PASGT (commonly called "Kevlar" by U.S. troops) and Advanced Combat Helmet, or ACH.

Heraldry

As the

coat of arms A coat of arms is a heraldry, heraldic communication design, visual design on an escutcheon (heraldry), escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the last two being outer garments), originating in Europe. The coat of arms on an escutcheon f ...

was originally designed to distinguish noble combatants on the battlefield or in a

tournament A tournament is a competition involving at least three competitors, all participating in a sport or game. More specifically, the term may be used in either of two overlapping senses: # One or more competitions held at a single venue and concen ...

, even while covered in

, it is not surprising that heraldic elements constantly incorporated the shield and the helmet, these often being the most visible parts of a

knight A knight is a person granted an honorary title of a knighthood by a head of state (including the pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church, or the country, especially in a military capacity. The concept of a knighthood ...

's military equipment. The practice of indicating

peerage A peerage is a legal system historically comprising various hereditary titles (and sometimes Life peer, non-hereditary titles) in a number of countries, and composed of assorted Imperial, royal and noble ranks, noble ranks. Peerages include: A ...

through the display of barred or grilled helmets first appeared around 1587-1615, and the heraldic convention of displaying helmets of rank in the United Kingdom, which came into vogue around Stuart times, is as follows: * Sovereign: a gold barred-face (tournament) helm placed affronté * Peer's helmet: silver barred-face (tournament) helm placed in profile * Knight's or baronet's helmet: steel helm (earlier jousting helm, later close helm) placed affronté with visor open * Esquire's helmet: steel helm placed in profile with visor closed Earlier rolls of arms reveal, however, that early heraldic helmets were depicted in a manner faithful to the styles in actual military or

use at the time.Fox-Davies, P. 316.

Gallery

File:Cretan Helmet.jpg, Boar tusk

Minoan The Minoan civilization was a Bronze Age culture which was centered on the island of Crete. Known for its monumental architecture and Minoan art, energetic art, it is often regarded as the first civilization in Europe. The ruins of the Minoan pa ...

helmet, 1600–1500 BCE File:Boars's tusk helmet NAMA6568 Athens Greece1.jpg, Boar tusk Mycenaean helmet, 14th century BCE File:Corinthian helmet with detachable bronze horns.jpg, Corinthian helmet with detachable horns, circa 650 BCE File:Corinthian helmet Denda Staatliche Antikensammlungen 4330.jpg, Corinthian helmet, 500 BCE File:Greek - Chalcidian-Type Helmet - Walters 542468.jpg, Greek Chalcidian helmet, 500 BCE File:Bronze helmet of conical shape MET DP21094.jpg, Greek pilos helmet, 450–425 BCE File:Boeotian helmet.jpg, Boeotian helmet, 4th century BCE File:Illyrian-Greek helmet from Montenegro - Budva -4th cBC.png, Greek Illyrian type helmet, 4th century BCE File:Pletena helmet.jpg, Thracian helmet, 4th century BCE File:Parade helmet.jpg, Celtic (Gallic) parade helmet, 350 BCE File:Ancient bronze greek helmet -South Italy.jpg, Attic helmet, 350 BCE to 300 BCE File:Phrygian helmet.jpg, Greek bronze Phrygian helmet, 350 BCE to 300 BCE File:Roman helmet.jpg, Roman cavalry helmet, 1st century CE File:The Nijmegen cavalry helmet, an iron mask sheathed in bronze and silver discovered in 1915 on the left bank of the Waal river near Nijmegen, second half of the first century, Museum het Valkhof, Nijmegen (Netherlands) (9569871602).jpg, Roman cavalry helmet File:The black helmet of a Mongolian army(2).JPG, Black Mongolian helmet File:Khalili Collection Islamic Art mtw 1415.jpg, alt=Iranian helmet, iron, bronze rivets and gilding., Iranian, 7th or 8th century CE Spangenhelm File:KHM Wien A 12 - Bascinet by Master A, Milan, c. 1400, side.jpg, Early 15th century

with ''hounskull'' visor File:Helm for the Joust of Peace (Stechhelm) MET DP271142.jpg, 15th-century German frog-mouth helm used in

jousting Jousting is a medieval and renaissance martial game or hastilude between two combatants either on horse or on foot. The joust became an iconic characteristic of the knight in Romantic medievalism. The term is derived from Old French , ultim ...

File:Helmet of Mamluk Sultan Qaitbay, Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg (37046195461).jpg, Ottoman zischagge helmet, mid-16th century File:German - Close Helmet of the "Maximilian" Style - Walters 51465 - Profile.jpg, 16th century Maximilian style close helmet File:Parade helmet VandA M.52-1909.jpg, 19th-century Japanese

kabuto ' (兜, 冑) is a type of helmet first used by ancient Japanese warriors that, in later periods, became an important part of the traditional Japanese armour worn by the samurai class and their retainers in History of Japan#Medieval Japan (118 ...

File:Braunschweigisches Husaren-Regiment Nr. 17 Totenkopf Paradehelm Cut out.jpg, German

Pickelhaube The (; , ; from , and , , a general word for "headgear"), also , is a spiked leather or metal helmet that was worn in the 19th and 20th centuries by Prussian and German soldiers of all ranks, as well as firefighters and police. Although it ...

File:Musee-de-lArmee-IMG 0976.jpg, Late 19th-century pith helmet File:Soldiers Zhejiang Campaign 1942.jpg, Type 90 helmets worn by the Japanese during the Second World War File:Bundesarchiv Bild 101I-089-3779-11A, Russland, Hauptmann mit Ritterkreuz Recolored.jpg, A German

stahlhelm The ''Stahlhelm'' (German for "''steel helmet''") is a term used to refer to a series of German steel combat helmet designs intended to protect the wearer from common battlefield hazards such as shrapnel. The armies of the great powers began ...

during World War II File:VMA-311Flight Helmet.JPG,

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (1 November 1955 – 30 April 1975) was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam) and their allies. North Vietnam w ...

era Marine squadron VMA-311 flight helmet File:US soldiers wearing the PASGT helmet, Hawaii (cropped).jpg, PASGT helmet File:Fire helmet, c. 1893, leather, steel - Old Colony History Museum - Taunton, Massachusetts - DSC03887.jpg, Leather and steel firefighting helmet File:STS-135 Sandy Magnus undergoes a fit check of her Sokol suit.jpg, Astronaut helmet File:Sporthelme.jpg, Ski helmet (left), paragliding helmet (right) File:Aviakit Pudding basin helmet.jpg, Aviakit motorcyclist "pudding basin" helmet File:White-helmets.jpg, Full face and open face motorcycle helmets File:Hurling helmet 000 0200.jpg,

Hurling Hurling (, ') is an outdoor Team sport, team game of ancient Gaelic culture, Gaelic Irish origin, played by men and women. One of Ireland's native Gaelic games, it shares a number of features with Gaelic football, such as the field and goa ...

/ Camogie helmet File:Magnus Muhrén 2012b.jpg, Magnus Muhrén wearing a

bandy Bandy is a winter sport and ball sport played by two team sport, teams wearing Ice skates#Bandy skates, ice skates on a large ice surface (either indoors or outdoors) while using sticks to direct a ball into the opposing team's goal. The playin ...

helmet

References

External links

"Helmets...A Medieval Note In Modern Warfare"
August 1942, ''

Popular Science Popular science (also called pop-science or popsci) is an interpretation of science intended for a general audience. While science journalism focuses on recent scientific developments, popular science is more broad ranging. It may be written ...