Did you know? Bell’s Fast Facts Friday

Here at Bell we know a lot of random facts about helmets and wheeled sports. But, we also realize there’s always more to learn, and to share. For this reason, we’ve decided to start up an ongoing series of helmet-related facts. Since this is our first post of this nature, we thought some historical facts would be fitting for your noggins:

1. The helm (heaume) of a helmet emerged in the late 12th Century. (Wikipedia)

2. Helmets were originally created and worn for military purposes; their basic function was to protect the head, face and sometimes the neck from the cutting blows of swords, spears, arrows and other weapons. (Armadillo Armory)

3. The Assyrians and Persians had helmets of leather and iron, but it was the Greeks who changed things up with their innovative helmets made of bronze. (Armadillo Armory).

4. Roy Richter, an auto racer and pattern maker, begins manufacturing the first helmet – the ’500′ – in his garage located behind the Bell Auto Parts store in 1954 (Bell Sports).

5. The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) created a mandatory standard for all bicycle helmets sold in the United States, which took effect in March 1999. (Absolute Astronomy)

Know any helmet-related facts? As we mentioned, we’re always interested in learning more about helmets and sports. Feel free to leave us a comment sharing your own random helmet knowledge and maybe we’ll highlight it an upcoming post (offering credit where credit is due, of course).