In 1917, Guy Otis Brewster, an American gunsmith from New Jersey, created a set of wearable armor to protect
soldiers from small arms fire, which went down in history under the name "Brewster Armor". This kit
included a large shield-shaped body plate and a heavy helmet. The armor plate for the body was fastened with
shoulder buckles, and it also had some kind of damper cushioning. The helmet was equipped with adjustable
eye shields. The thickness of the armor was 5.5 mm (0.21 inches), and, according to Brewster's idea, it was
supposed to reliably protect the soldier from the effects of small arms.
In April 1917, this unusual protection was tested, and the inventor himself tested it on himself. Initially, the
armor was struck with a sledgehammer, and then Brewster stood in front of the machine gun, and several
bullets were fired at him. The tests were successful, and Brewster himself stated that the impact of machine
gun fire is only a tenth of the shock that he experienced when hit with a sledgehammer.