TAKING THE PLUNGE
Nov 26, 2019
5 minutes
By PAUL KENNEDY
Photographs courtesy of Don Creekmore
Motorcycle daredevil Evel Knievel wore a helmet. It was red, white and blue. Knievel jumped over big things, like buses and the fountains of Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. He crashed a lot. The helmet came in handy.
Darth Vader, Iron Man and Thor all wore helmets. So does the circus performer who gets shot out of a cannon.
The Vikings, near the end of the 8th century, raided the British Isles. Their helmets were really scary, especially if you were English.
Chuck Yeager, the greatest test pilot in history, became the first person to break the sound barrier flying the Bell X-1 experimental jet some 40,000 feet over the Mojave Desert. In a helmet.
The helmet’s purpose in life is to protect.
You’re reading a preview, subscribe to read more.
Start your free 30 days