Trialing Football Helmets, 1912
The football helmet was invented in the 1890s and thankfully became pretty widespread soon after that. Football and other contact sports can be physically dangerous and can result in serious head injuries, so this invention saved players a lot of grief. One thing we don’t really think about is how these helmets were tested.
Here we have a great action shot of someone testing a football helmet by banging their head against a wall. Good thing the helmet did its job! This photo, taken in 1912, is pretty great. Whether they were actually testing the helmet or they were joking around has been lost to history, but the three men in the background seem to be enjoying themselves!