Helmet

A helmet (a 15th century loan from Middle French, a diminutive of Frankish helm, from Proto-Germanic *khelmaz, PIE *kelmo- "a cover") is a form of protective clothing worn on the head and usually made of metal or some other hard substance, typically for protection of the head from falling objects or high-speed collisions.

Helmets are common in the military, construction, mining and some sports, including American football, baseball, hockey and rock climbing. Motorcycle helmets and bicycle helmets are compulsory headgear in some jurisdictions; in the United Kingdom only Sikhs are allowed to ride motorcycles without wearing motorcycle helmets.

Helmets are among the most ancient forms of protection, and are known to have been worn by ancient Greeks and throughout the Middle Ages; at this time they were primarily military equipment, protecting the head from cutting blows with swords and flying arrows. They were initially constructed from leather, but eventually came to be made entirely from iron, with a variety of functional enhancements. Military use of helmets declined as firearms became widespread, where traditional helmets offered little protection. However, with the increasing use of heavy artillery, the steel helmet made a comeback in the 20th Century as protection for the head from shrapnel.

Helmets used for different purposes differ greatly in their design. For example, a bicycling helmet would chiefly be required to protect against blunt impact forces, most commonly to the temple and sides of the head. A helmet designed for rock climbing, however, would need to protect against objects (e.g., small rocks and climbing equipment) falling from above, but would have a reduced need for protecting against impacts to the side of the head. Consequently, bicycling and rock climbing helmets have little resemblance to each other. Practical concerns also dictate helmet design. A bicycling helmet would preferably be aerodynamic in shape and probably well ventilated, while a rock climbing helmet would be lightweight and with a minimum of bulk to reduce any detrimental effect on the climber's technique.

Image:Bicyclinghelmet.saa.jpeg

A typical helmet used for bicycling

Image:Climbinghelmet.saa.jpeg

A typical helmet used for rock climbing

also a slang term used to describe someone who does something stupid or retarded. (i.e. Look at Eric he's such a helmet, he tripped backwards playing that dumb dance dance revolution game.)the description implies that the person is so retarded that they have to wear a helmet so they don't hurt themselves.

Goggles and face guards are other forms of protective headgear. These are not typically needed while wearing a helmet that protects the eyes or face as well. Hard hats are typically preferred in modern times for construction workers.

Helmets are often used by riot police. There are image of riotsquad-type helmets at:-

Image:Commons-logo.svg

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

{{{2|Helmet}}}

[edit]

Helmet

See also