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| 1900s "Head Harness" |
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| 1930 Football Helmet |
The football helmet was first invented in the 1890's. Back then, they were known as "head harnesses." They were made of leather and were meant to protect the ears. They had flat tops and no facemasks. In 1917 however, Bob Zupke came up with the idea of a helmet the had a curved top so that it could craddle the head. In the 1930's, a facemask that was wire covered with rubber started being added to helmets. In 1939, John T. Riddell Company created the first plastic helmet. The helmet were used in the 1980's, such as the one shown below helped stop concussions, but not not as much as it needed to be. Eventually, Riddell would go on to create the highly used Riddell Revolution helmets.
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| 1980s Football Helmet |
