"How the modern combat helmet was born in the ..." Topic

…trenches of France.

"The image of the modern soldier on the battlefield is seldom complete without a helmet on the soldier's head. Designed to protect from small arms fire the modern ballistic helmet is often made of space age materials including Kevlar, but its origins go back 100 years to the trenches of the First World War.

While a helm or helmet had been used throughout antiquity to protect the head from blows to the head from swords and other melee weapons these heavy "brain buckets" -- along with most body armor -- were rendered essentially obsolete thanks to the advent of gun powder. Even in the late Middle Ages military leaders realized that armor strong enough to stop a musket ball would be too heavy for a soldier to wear and far too expensive. Within 100 years the concept in knights of shining armor was largely replaced with soldiers in colorful uniforms.

By the outbreak of the First World War in 1914 metal helmets were largely relegated to the parade grounds and mostly used by cavalry units. As the great powers of Europe built vast empires with colonies around the world helmets were used but these were made of cork and meant to protect from the ravages of the sun more than native spears or arrows; while in Europe helmets became something of a fashion statement, most notably with Germany's pointy "pickelhaube" (or spiked helmet)…"
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