Armor
2 of the 7 encyclopedias on this shelf carry an entry for Armor. Both are reproduced below, so you can see where they agree and where they differ.
Aiton's Encyclopedia (1910)
defensive covering worn to protect the person against weapons. The armor worn by the Greek warriors at the siege of Troy consisted of four pieces. The helmet was a metal cap, designed to protect the head. The cuirass consisted of a bronze breastplate and back piece reaching from the neck to the girdle, somewhat comparable to a vest. The two pieces were laced together at the sides with leather thongs. Bronze greaves or plates covered the leg to the instep. The fourth piece was a round or oval shield held in the hand. It is described as made of bronze, lined or backed with bull's hide. It was long enough to protect the entire body. At the beginning of the Middle Ages the armor consisted chiefly of mail; that is to say, flexible garments made of twisted. links of steel. The principal garment was the hauberk, or mail shirt, reaching from the neck to the knees. A stiff leather garment was worn under this to prevent the links from being driven into the warrior's body. Mail gloves and hose were worn. In its later and complete development the suit of armor was composed entirely of sheets of thin steel, ingeniously shaped, hinged, and riveted in such a way as to allow the arms and the legs to move freely. When the warrior donned his suit of armor and lowered the visor of his helmet, he was completely encased in metal, and was supposed to be proof against sword and spear. A knight clad in armor was supposed to be a match for any number of common men. A suit was so costly, however, that it could be owned only by the wealthy, who were thus given a great advantage over their fellows. A complete suit of armor was so heavy that the wearer could not mount his war horse without assistance, nor could he, if overthrown, rise without help. The development of archery, followed by the invention of gunpowder, which enabled men to fight at a distance, and made lightness of foot requisite to advantage in battle, rendered armor a useless incumbrance. The castle halls, royal residences, and museums of Europe are filled with collections of armor which are shown with much the same interest as old china or plate. The tourist is surprised constantly to note the smallness of the suits. Judging from them, the distinguished men of the present day are very much larger in body than were the famous warriors of the Middle Ages. See Vienna ; Berlin ; Helmet 2026 Editor's Note: Gunpowder drove the knight's plate armor off the battlefield — but armor returned in the twentieth century in new form: the bulletproof vest . Kevlar, invented in the 1960s, now shields soldiers and police, and the medieval idea of wearable protection has come full circle in ceramic-plated 'body armor.' (Ed: BR 2026-07-18)
Collier's New Encyclopedia (1921)
a word nated by one of his own countrymen, in all such contrivances the 37th year of his age, A. D. 19. ANTWERP HEAVY OSTEND BRUGES LYS RIV. GHENT B NOV. 11. 1918 DUNKIRK E YPRES م O COURTRAI BRUSSELS STOMER O LILLE MONS M SAMBRE RIV SCHELDT NAMUR DOUA DINANT VALENCIENNE ARRAS bi CAMBRAI GIVET AMIENS STQUENTIN MEZIERES WHERE ARMISTICE WAS SIGNED SEDAN LAON MEUSE MONTDIDIER AISNE RIV. RETHONDES R RETHEL Q CHATEAU-THIERR CHALON MARNE RIV. COMPIEGNE VESLE DUN ANCO OISE R REIMS a ய SCALE OF MILES PARIS 010 20 30 40 50 THE BATTLE LINE ON ARMISTICE DAY, NOV. 11, ARMINIUS, JACOBUS, a Protestant the body from divine, born at Oudewater, Holland, 1560, enemy. Hence it founder of the sect of the Arminians. In kinds, defensive and his public and private life Arminius has plete suit of defensive consisted of a casque been admired for his moderation. A life of perpetual labor and vexation of mind cuirass, gauntlets cuishes and covers shortened his days and he died in 1609. the spurs were called armor cap - a -