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Explore the people, places, events, achievements, struggles and stories that shaped our journey.
Movements, leaders, victories and the continuing fight for equality.
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In 1968 Shirley Chisholm became the first Black woman elected to the United States Congress. In 1972 she launched a campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination, breaking another political barrier.
MORE →Reflects the personal views, recollections, and perspective of the author, Mike Davis.
This is a personal recollection on the Move fire on May 13, 1985
The great helm or heaume, also called pot helm, bucket helm and barrel helm, is a helmet of the High Middle Ages which arose in the late twelfth century in the context of the Crusades and remained in use until the fourteenth century. The barreled style was used by knights in most West European armies between about 1210 to 1340 AD and evolved into the frog-mouth helm[1] to be primarily used during jousting contests.
In its simplest form, the great helm was a flat-topped cylinder of steel that completely covered the head and had only very small openings for ventilation and vision. Later designs gained more of a curved design, particularly on the top, to deflect or lessen the impact of blows.[2] The helmet was also extended downward until it reached shoulders.[2]
The great helm ultimately evolved from the nasal helmet, which had been produced in a flat-topped variant with a square profile by about 1180.[3] From this type of helmet an intermediate type, called an 'enclosed helmet' or 'primitive great helm', developed near the end of the 12th century. In this helmet the expansion of the nasal produced a full face-plate, pierced for sight and breathing. This helmet was largely superseded by the true great helm by c. 1240.[4]
A later variant with a more conical top is known as a 'sugarloaf helm'. In Spanish they are called yelmo de Zaragoza, referring to Zaragoza where they were introduced for the first time in the Iberian peninsula.[5]
Although the great helm offered vastly superior protection than previous helmets, such as the nasal helm and spangenhelm, it limited the wearer's peripheral vision, and in addition to being heavy, the mass-produced form (flat-topped without ventilation holes) provided little ventilation and could quickly overheat in hot weather. Knights usually wore the great helm over a mail coif (hood) sometimes in conjunction with a close-fitting iron skull cap known as a cervelliere. The later development of the cervelliere, the bascinet, was also worn beneath the great helm; men-at-arms would often remove the great helm after the first clash of lances, for greater vision and freedom of movement in melee combat. The bascinet had a mail curtain attached, a camail or aventail, which superseded the coif. Mail throat and neck defences such as these were made obsolete when plate gorgets were introduced, around 1400.
The bascinet evolved from its early skull cap form to supersede the great helm for combat. The great helm fell into disuse during the 15th century; however it was used commonly in tournaments where a version of the great helm, the frog-mouthed tilting helm, evolved.[6]
Somewhere around 1600 Great helms became a popular part of Funeral Achievements.[2]
The Great Helm was often blackened, lacquered or painted, and frequently bore decorations such as:
The great helm is today especially popular amongst live-action role players and used in Medieval reenactment of the 13th and 14th centuries. It is inexpensive, easy to manufacture with even rudimentary equipment (metal scissors, drill, rudimentary anvil, rivets and hammer), and provides good protection for the head against both sharp and blunt weapons. Its biggest drawback is the square edges, that crumple very easily under blunt force trauma, and poor ventilation and air circulation. This can make it very hot in warm weather, although not much heavier, hotter or more cumbersome than a number of other medieval helmet styles. However period-accurate methods of padding and suspending the helmet can drastically improve the wearer's experiences.[citation needed]
Modern reenactment versions of great helms weigh 1.5 to 3 kg. They are sometimes but not always made from thicker steel than medieval originals yet are not usually overly heavy, cumbersome, or uncomfortable. Although visor slits are usually only some 20–30 mm wide, they do not greatly restrict the field of vision as they are very close to the wearer's eyes to reduce parallax.[7]
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Source: Wikipedia. Article content is retrieved live through the MediaWiki API.
The great helm or heaume, also called pot helm, bucket helm and barrel helm, is a helmet of the High Middle Ages which arose in the late twelfth century in the context of the Crusades and remained in use until the fourteenth century. The barreled style was used by knights in most West European armies between about 1210 to 1340 AD and evolved into the frog-mouth helm to be primarily used during jousting contests.
The frog-mouth helm (or Stechhelm, German for "jousting helmet", to stechen, "to thrust", lit. 'to stick') was a type of great helm for tournament jousting, designed to maximize protection against lance blows. The sheek plates are large with heavy backwards sloping, going outwards in a concave manner up to the vision slit (ocularium), which then appears as the mouth of a frog. They are traditionally fixed to an upper chest piece to mitigate strain on the user's neck if hit. Such started appearing from around 1400 and lasting into the first quarter of the 16th century, later retroactively returning for post-medieval jousting practice. The helmet is primarily intended for sport, rather than battlefield use. During jousting tournaments, the helmet offered a better degree of protection from lances that would splinter after impact with the rival's body armour. Early examples of the stechhelm were made from a single piece of metal, while later dated helmets had hinged constructions that could be disassembled.
The enclosed helmet, also termed a primitive great helm or early great helm, was a type of Western European helmet of the late 12th and early 13th century. It was the forerunner of the great helm.
The Temple Pyx is a mid 12th century medieval bronze gilt plaque, suggested as German in origin (although it was discovered in the Temple Church in London). It is currently a part of the Burrell Collection in Glasgow, Scotland. It is a beautiful example of High Medieval metalwork and gives excellent detail of the arms, armour and architecture of the Norman period. It features three Romanesque arches above each soldier. The soldiers all wield swords and spears, conical nasal helms, teardrop kite shields with center boss, shin length maille hauberks, shoulder to foot tunics (no doubt shorter gambesons sandwiched in between) and pointed shoes. This suggests that the estimated date of 1150 is incorrect as by the 12th century kite shields already began to lose their rounded tops and bosses (but not entirely until the 13th century), maille hauberks shortened to knee or thigh length and helmets soon evolved into kalotas (early great helm) by losing their conical tops and eventually harnessing faceplates instead of noseguards. It is assumed these figures represent part of the Holy Sepulchre; these soldiers stood guard asleep and with backs turned to the resurrection. Another theory is these are King Herod's soldiers, who didn't realize St Peter was escaping from prison. Despite being found in the Temple Church, it doesn't necessarily have religious significance, but it is assumed that it was a shrine decoration.
Before the 1921 destruction of Tulsa’s Greenwood District, Black residents had created a remarkable center of business and community life. The district included stores, professional offices, entertainment venues and homes owned by Black citizens. Understanding Greenwood means learning what was built—not only what was burned.
MORE →Mae Jemison, aboard Space Shuttle Endeavour in 1992.
