Misplaced Pages

#892107

44-566: The Royal Armouries is the United Kingdom's national collection of arms and armour . Once an important part of England's military organization, it became the United Kingdom's oldest museum, and one of the oldest museums in the world. It is also one of the largest collections of arms and armour in the world, comprising the UK's National Collection of Arms and Armour, National Artillery Collection, and National Firearms Collection. Originally housed in

88-407: A commercial industry involved in the research and development , engineering , production, and servicing of military material, equipment, and facilities. Many industrialized countries have a domestic arms industry to supply their own military forces, and some also have a substantial trade in weapons for use by their citizens for self-defense, hunting, or sporting purposes. Contracts to supply

132-405: A given country's military are awarded by governments, making arms contracts of substantial political importance. The link between politics and the arms trade can result in the development of a " military–industrial complex ", where the armed forces, commerce, and politics become closely linked. According to research institute SIPRI, the volume of international transfers of major weapons in 2010–2014

176-508: A museum. The Tower was engaged in the development, manufacture and storage of a wide variety of weaponry until the Board of Ordnance was abolished in 1855. Thereafter the historic armoury collection remained. Only a small part of this could be displayed, however, and in 1995, much of the artillery collection was moved to Fort Nelson in Hampshire and the following year a new Royal Armouries Museum

220-633: A national museum. The current Director General and Master of the Armouries is Nat Edwards. The Master of the Armoury was responsible for maintaining a store of armour and weapons for use in the event of war and had an office in the Tower of London. The first use of the title was in 1462. The Royal Armouries formerly published the Royal Armouries Yearbook . In 2004, that was superseded by Arms & Armour ,

264-466: A number of issues around the potential ongoing risks from deployed weapons, the safe storage of weapons, and their eventual disposal when they are no longer effective or safe. Strange and exotic weapons are a recurring feature or theme in science fiction . In some cases, weapons first introduced in science fiction have now become a reality. Other science fiction weapons, such as force fields and stasis fields , remain purely fictional and are often beyond

308-440: A theme when it touches on deeper concerns, often motivated by contemporary issues. One example is science fiction that deals with weapons of mass destruction like doomsday devices . Twig A twig is a thin, often short, branch of a tree or bush . The buds on the twig are an important diagnostic characteristic, as are the abscission scars where the leaves have fallen away. The color, texture, and patterning of

352-539: A twice-yearly peer-reviewed scholarly journal. Download coordinates as: Weapons While ordinary objects such as sticks , rocks , bottles , chairs , and vehicles can be used as weapons , many objects are expressly designed for the purpose; these range from simple implements such as clubs , axes , spears , and swords to complicated modern firearms , tanks , intercontinental ballistic missiles , biological weapons , and cyberweapons . Something that has been repurposed, converted, or enhanced to become

396-474: A weapon of war is termed weaponized , such as a weaponized virus or weaponized laser . The use of weapons has been a major driver of cultural evolution and human history up to today since weapons are a type of tool that is used to dominate and subdue autonomous agents such as animals and, by doing so, allow for an expansion of the cultural niche, while simultaneously other weapon users (i.e., agents such as humans, groups, and cultures) are able to adapt to

440-605: A worldwide crusade in the 1920s. Poison gas did not win battles, and the generals did not want it. The soldiers hated it far more intensely than bullets or explosive shells. By 1918, chemical shells made up 35 percent of French ammunition supplies, 25 percent of British, and 20 percent of American stock. The “Protocol for the Prohibition of the Use in War of Asphyxiating, Poisonous, or Other Gases and of Bacteriological Methods of Warfare”, also known as

484-492: Is the trafficking of contraband weapons and ammunition . What constitutes legal trade in firearms varies widely, depending on local and national laws. In 2001, the United Nations had made a protocol against the manufacturing and trafficking of illicit arms. This protocol made governments dispose illegal arms, and to licence new firearms being produced, to ensure them being legitimate. It was signed by 122 parties. There are

SECTION 10

#1732844741893

528-460: The Geneva Protocol , was issued in 1925 and was accepted as policy by all major countries. In 1937, poison gas was manufactured in large quantities but not used except against nations that lacked modern weapons or gas masks. Many modern military weapons, particularly ground-based ones, are relatively minor improvements to weapon systems developed during World War II. World War II marked perhaps

572-537: The Schöningen spears , eight wooden throwing spears dating back more than 300,000 years. At the site of Nataruk in Turkana, Kenya, numerous human skeletons dating to 10,000 years ago may present evidence of traumatic injuries to the head, neck, ribs, knees, and hands, including obsidian projectiles embedded in the bones that might have been caused by arrows and clubs during conflict between two hunter-gatherer groups. But

616-742: The Tower of London from the 15th century, today the collection is split across three sites: the Tower, the Royal Armouries Museum in Leeds , and Fort Nelson near Portsmouth . From 2004 to 2015, a limited selection of items was also on display in Louisville, Kentucky , in the United States, in cooperation with the Frazier History Museum . The Royal Armouries is one of the ancient institutions of

660-572: The arquebus were much more powerful than human-powered weapons. Firearms became increasingly important and effective during the 16th–19th centuries, with progressive improvements in ignition mechanisms followed by revolutionary changes in ammunition handling and propellant. During the American Civil War , new applications of firearms, including the machine gun and ironclad warship , emerged that would still be recognizable and useful military weapons today, particularly in limited conflicts . In

704-578: The trireme , were in use by the 7th century BC. During the first First Punic War , the use of advanced warships contributed to a Roman victory over the Carthaginians. European warfare during post-classical history was dominated by elite groups of knights supported by massed infantry (both in combat and ranged roles). They were involved in mobile combat and sieges , which involved various siege weapons and tactics. Knights on horseback developed tactics for charging with lances , providing an impact on

748-511: The 1620s, swords, lances and items of armour were still used in battle, but for the most part were being issued by the Office of Ordnance (which was becoming a sizeable department of State) rather than by the Armoury. The latter, however, remained staffed and operational until 1671, when it was finally absorbed by the Ordnance Board; the board continued to maintain, and indeed expanded, the Armoury as

792-409: The 19th century, warship propulsion changed from sail power to fossil fuel -powered steam engines . Since the mid-18th century North American French-Indian war through the beginning of the 20th century, human-powered weapons were reduced from the primary weaponry of the battlefield to yielding gunpowder-based weaponry. Sometimes referred to as the "Age of Rifles", this period was characterized by

836-563: The 4th century BC. Cavalry developed once horses were bred to support the weight of a human. The horse extended the range and increased the speed of attacks. Alexander's conquest saw the increased use of spears and shields in the Middle East and Western Asia as a result Greek culture spread which saw many Greek and other European weapons be used in these regions and as a result many of these weapons were adapted to fit their new use in war In addition to land-based weaponry, warships , such as

880-615: The Tower of London and was originally engaged in the manufacture of armour for the Kings of England and their armies. The Office of the Armoury grew out of the department known as the King's Privy Wardrobe at the Tower of London in the mid-15th century. Overseen from 1423 by the Master of the King's Armour, and based in the White Tower , the Office was responsible for manufacturing armour and edged weapons for

924-459: The Tower of London. By the time of Charles II , there was a permanent public display there; the "Spanish Armoury" which included instruments of torture and the "Line of Kings"—a row of wooden effigies representing the kings of England. This makes it the first museum in Britain. The influence of the Armoury began to wane as traditional weapons gave way increasingly to firearms in the field of war. In

SECTION 20

#1732844741893

968-442: The beginning of the implementation of firearms in western warfare. Guns and rockets were introduced to the battlefield. Firearms are qualitatively different from earlier weapons because they release energy from combustible propellants , such as gunpowder , rather than from a counterweight or spring. This energy is released very rapidly and can be replicated without much effort by the user. Therefore, even early firearms such as

1012-498: The development of ancient weapons. It was not the introduction of early Iron Age swords , however, as they were not superior to their bronze predecessors, but rather the domestication of the horse and widespread use of spoked wheels by c.  2000 BC . This led to the creation of the light, horse-drawn chariot , whose improved mobility proved important during this era. Spoke-wheeled chariot usage peaked around 1300 BC and then declined, ceasing to be militarily relevant by

1056-426: The development of firearms for infantry and cannons for support, as well as the beginnings of mechanized weapons such as the machine gun . Artillery pieces such as howitzers were able to destroy masonry fortresses and other fortifications, and this single invention caused a revolution in military affairs , establishing tactics and doctrine that are still in use today. An important feature of industrial age warfare

1100-428: The development, production, stockpiling, proliferation, and usage of weapons, from small arms and heavy weapons to weapons of mass destruction . Arms control is typically exercised through the use of diplomacy, which seeks to impose such limitations upon consenting participants, although it may also comprise efforts by a nation or group of nations to enforce limitations upon a non-consenting country. Arms trafficking

1144-409: The end of this period revolutionized warfare. Formations of musketeers , protected by pikemen , came to dominate open battles, and the cannon replaced the trebuchet as the dominant siege weapon . The Ottoman used the cannon to destroy much of the fortifications at Constantinople which would change warfare as gunpowder became more available and technology improved The European Renaissance marked

1188-652: The enemy formations, and then drawing more practical weapons (such as swords ) once they entered melee. By contrast, infantry, in the age before structured formations, relied on cheap, sturdy weapons such as spears and billhooks in close combat and bows from a distance. As armies became more professional, their equipment was standardized, and infantry transitioned to pikes . Pikes are normally seven to eight feet in length and used in conjunction with smaller sidearms (short swords). In Eastern and Middle Eastern warfare, similar tactics were developed independent of European influences. The introduction of gunpowder from Asia at

1232-464: The interpretation of warfare at Nataruk has been challenged due to conflicting evidence. The earliest ancient weapons were evolutionary improvements of late Neolithic implements, but significant improvements in materials and crafting techniques led to a series of revolutions in military technology . The development of metal tools began with copper during the Copper Age (about 3,300 BC) and

1276-472: The interwar period (between WWI and WWII) with the continuous evolution of weapon systems by all major industrial powers. The major armament firms were Schneider-Creusot (based in France), Škoda Works (Czechoslovakia), and Vickers (Great Britain). The 1920s were committed to disarmament and the outlawing of war and poison gas, but rearmament picked up rapidly in the 1930s. The munitions makers responded nimbly to

1320-572: The manufacture, sale, transfer, possession, modification, and use of small arms by civilians. Countries that regulate access to firearms will typically restrict access to certain categories of firearms and then restrict the categories of persons who may be granted a license for access to such firearms. There may be separate licenses for hunting, sport shooting (a.k.a. target shooting), self-defense, collecting, and concealed carry, with different sets of requirements, permissions, and responsibilities. International treaties and agreements place restrictions on

1364-522: The monarch and his armies; it functioned alongside the Office of Ordnance , which had responsibility for firearms. The Armoury oversaw storehouses and workshops at Woolwich and Portsmouth, and at various royal palaces (most notably the Greenwich Armoury , which specialized in richly decorated ceremonial armour). In 1545, it is recorded that a visiting foreign dignitary paid to view the Armoury collection at

Royal Armouries - Misplaced Pages Continue

1408-453: The most frantic period of weapon development in the history of humanity. Massive numbers of new designs and concepts were fielded, and all existing technologies were improved between 1939 and 1945. The most powerful weapon invented during this period was the nuclear bomb ; however, many other weapons influenced the world, such as jet aircraft and radar , but were overshadowed by the visibility of nuclear weapons and long-range rockets. Since

1452-461: The point of being able to ensure the destruction of the Earth by 100 fold, a new tactic had to be developed. With this realization, armaments development funding shifted back to primarily sponsoring the development of conventional arms technologies for support of limited wars rather than total war . The arms industry is a global industry that involves the sale and manufacture of weaponry. It consists of

1496-516: The rapidly shifting strategic and economic landscape. The main purchasers of munitions from the big three companies were Romania, Yugoslavia, Greece, and Turkey – and, to a lesser extent, Poland, Finland, the Baltic States, and the Soviet Union. Realistic critics understood that war could not really be outlawed, but its worst excesses might be banned. Poison gas became the focus of

1540-485: The realization of mutual assured destruction (MAD), the nuclear option of all-out war is no longer considered a survivable scenario. During the Cold War in the years following World War II, both the United States and the Soviet Union engaged in a nuclear arms race . Each country and their allies continually attempted to out-develop each other in the field of nuclear armaments. Once the joint technological capabilities reached

1584-603: The realms of known physical possibility. At its most prosaic, science fiction features an endless variety of sidearms , mostly variations on real weapons such as guns and swords . Among the best-known of these are the phaser used in the Star Trek television series, films, and novels, and the lightsaber and blaster featured in the Star Wars movies, comics, novels, and TV series. In addition to adding action and entertainment value, weaponry in science fiction sometimes becomes

1628-409: The twig bark are also important, in addition to the thickness and nature of any pith of the twig. There are two types of twigs: vegetative twigs and fruiting spurs . Fruiting spurs are specialized twigs that generally branch off the sides of branches and are stubby and slow-growing, with many annular ring markings from seasons past. The twig's age and rate of growth can be determined by counting

1672-507: The weapons of enemies by learning, triggering a continuous process of competitive technological, skill, and cognitive improvement ( arms race ). The use of objects as weapons has been observed among chimpanzees , leading to speculation that early hominids used weapons as early as five million years ago. However, this cannot be confirmed using physical evidence because wooden clubs, spears, and unshaped stones would have left an ambiguous record. The earliest unambiguous weapons to be found are

1716-461: The wide introduction of aircraft into warfare and naval warfare with the introduction of aircraft carriers . Above all, it promised the military commanders independence from horses and a resurgence in maneuver warfare through the extensive use of motor vehicles. The changes that these military technologies underwent were evolutionary but defined their development for the rest of the century. This period of innovation in weapon design continued in

1760-625: The winter terminal bud scale scars, or annular ring marking, across the diameter of the twig. Twigs can be useful in starting a fire . They can be used as kindling wood, bridging the gap between highly flammable tinder (dry grass and leaves) and firewood . This is due to their high amounts of stored carbon dioxide used in photosynthesis . Twigs are a feature of tool use by non-humans . For example, chimpanzees have been observed using twigs to go "fishing" for termites, and elephants have been reported using twigs to scratch parts of their ears and mouths which could not be reached by rubbing against

1804-410: Was technological escalation – innovations were rapidly matched through replication or countered by another innovation. World War I marked the entry of fully industrialized warfare as well as weapons of mass destruction ( e.g. , chemical and biological weapons ), and new weapons were developed quickly to meet wartime needs. The technological escalation during World War I was profound, including

Royal Armouries - Misplaced Pages Continue

1848-434: Was 16 percent higher than in 2005–2009, and the arms sales of the world's 100 largest private arms-producing and military services companies totaled $ 420 billion in 2018. The production, possession, trade, and use of many weapons are controlled. This may be at a local or central government level or by international treaty. Examples of such controls include: All countries have laws and policies regulating aspects such as

1892-616: Was followed by the Bronze Age , leading to the creation of the Bronze Age sword and similar weapons. During the Bronze Age, the first defensive structures and fortifications appeared as well, indicating an increased need for security. Weapons designed to breach fortifications followed soon after, such as the battering ram , which was in use by 2500 BC. The development of ironworking around 1300 BC in Greece had an important impact on

1936-617: Was opened in Leeds. The remaining part of the collection relates directly to the Tower. The National Heritage Act 1983 established the Armouries as a non-departmental public body , now sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport . The head of the Royal Armouries is known as the Master of the Armouries . This was an ancient office that was revived in 1935 when the Royal Armouries became

#892107