Britannica Student Encyclopedia - 2010

changed also. An outfit that stops an

arrow might not work against a bullet.

Like early clothing, early armor came

from animals. Thousands of years ago

warriors cushioned their bodies against

the blows of clubs with layers of furry

hides. Chinese warriors in the 1000s BC

wore armor made of layers of rhinoceros

hide.

Later, people learned to use plates made

of tough material such as metal, horn,

wood, or plastic. Plate armor provided

great protection to the body. The ancient

Greeks used bronze plates made to fit the

body and limbs. The ancient Romans

favored plate armor made of iron.

Since ancient times warriors have worn armor to protect themselves during battle. Armor

has taken many different forms over the centuries.

186 Armor BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA

 

Plate armor was not very flexible, however,

and in the early Middle Ages mail,

or chain mail, became the main form of

armor. Mail was made of interlinked

rings of iron or steel. Mail was flexible

and could be worn as a shirt, as leggings,

or as a hood.

By the 1300s, plate armor was being

made in such a way that the person

wearing it could move freely. The armor

that protected the knights of Europe

during the late Middle Ages was made

of large steel or iron plates. This kind of

armor replaced mail.

As firearms became more powerful,

armor had to get heavier. Eventually

armor became too heavy and bulky to be

practical. Plate armor disappeared completely

in the 1700s.

Some forms of armor continue to be

important in modern times. Soldiers

wear helmets and other protective

clothing. A common form of modern

body armor used today is the

bulletproof vest. Worn especially by

police officers, it often has a lining of

overlapping steel disks. Fiberglass and

other light artificial materials are

sometimes used as well.

Armstrong,

Lance

U.S. athlete Lance Armstrong was one

of the greatest professional cyclists. He is

the only person to have won the Tour de

France—the world’s most difficult

bicycle race—seven times.

Lance Armstrong was born on September

18, 1971, in Plano, Texas. He was

good at sports at an early age. After finishing

high school, he devoted himself

to cycling. In 1990 he won that sport’s

U.S. Amateur Championship.

Armstrong began to earn money as a

professional cyclist in 1992. The next

year he won the world championships in

men’s road racing and many other competitions.

In 1996 Armstrong was ranked the top

male cyclist in the world. But later that

year he fell seriously ill with cancer. Surgery

and chemical treatments called chemotherapy

eventually saved his life.

Doctors doubted that Armstrong could

return to a sport as physically demanding

as cycling. However, Armstrong won

the Tour de France in 1999. He went on

to win every Tour de France for the next

six years. After his victory in 2005, Arm-

Lance Armstrong

was

only the second

person

from the

United States

ever to win the

Tour de

France.

Lance Armstrong (in yellow) nears the end

of the Tour de France bicycle race in 2005.

BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA Armstrong, Lance 187

 

strong retired from professional cycling.

He devoted himself to raising awareness

about cancer. He returned to racing in

2009 and placed third in the Tour de

France that year.

..More to explore

Bicycle • Cycling

Armstrong, Louis

U.S. trumpet player and singer Louis

Armstrong was one of the world’s

greatest jazz musicians. He influenced

nearly all jazz horn players who came

after him.

Louis Daniel Armstrong was born on

August 4, 1901, in New Orleans, Louisiana.

As a boy he earned some money

by singing in the streets. After he fired a

pistol one New Year’s Eve, he was sent

to a home for troubled kids in 1913.

There he learned to play cornet.

In 1922 cornetist King Oliver invited

Armstrong to Chicago to join his band.

Armstrong later joined Fletcher

Henderson’s big band in New York City

for a year.

Armstrong returned to Chicago and

began playing the trumpet. By 1929 he

was famous, and he toured the United

States and Europe as a trumpet soloist

accompanied by big bands. He started

performing popular songs in addition to

jazz. He also began to sing lyrics in a low,

rough voice that was very distinctive.

After 1935 Armstrong appeared in

movies and on radio and television. In

1940 he formed Louis Armstrong’s

All-Stars, a Dixieland band with six

musicians. For most of the rest of his

life, he toured with this group. He died

on July 6, 1971, in New York City.

..More to explore

Jazz • Popular Music

Armstrong, Neil

In 1969 U.S. astronaut Neil Armstrong

became the first person to walk on the

Moon. Millions of people watched on

television as Armstrong stepped out of

his spacecraft and said, “That’s one

small step for [a] man, one giant leap for

mankind.”

Neil Alden Armstrong was born on

August 5, 1930, in Wapakoneta, Ohio.

He became interested in airplanes at a

young age. He received his pilot’s

license on his 16th birthday. After high

school Armstrong became an air cadet

in the U.S. Navy. In the 1950s he was a

Louis Armstrong pilot in the Korean War.

Louis Armstrong’s

nickname

was

“Satchmo.”

188 Armstrong, Louis BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA

 

In 1955 Armstrong joined the National