Story:
Testing Football Helmets in 1912, Bizarre Picture
Other Versions
1. How people used to test football helmets in 1912
2. Man testing American Football helmet, bashing his head against a wall
Fact Check:
A picture in wide circulation online claims to show a Bizarre way of Testing Football Helmets in 1912. It seems to show a man testing a new prototype of American Football helmet by bashing his head against a wall. The claim about Testing football helmets in 1912 is not true; the facts about the picture are explained below.
Not a Picture of Testing Football Helmets in 1912
As we all know, the American football is a famous game that was called as Rugby in early years. In between game, the players keep blocking and banging for the ball, which is where helmets find significance. The popular picture in question surfaces online very often claiming to show that is how American football helmets were tested back in 1912. However, the man in the picture is not a football player and is neither related to football or United States of America.
What you see in the picture is in fact British inventor W.T. Warren demonstrating the safety of a Protective Flight Helmet he invented. The dramatic demonstration of the Warren Safety Helmet in 1912 actually involved the inventor leaping against a hanger wall. Therefore, what you see in the picture is not a football helmet, but a patented, spring-equipped pilot safety helmet. The photograph was published in Aviation magazine Flight on 6th April 1912.
It was the time when head injuries were the leading cause of pilot deaths in flight accidents. The Warren Safety Helmet markedly had leather covering, padded well with horsehair. Inside it was a system of flat steel springs which had the effect of distributing any shock sustained by them over a large area. The helmet for pilots saw considerable use during World War I.
Hoax or Fact:
Hoax.
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