On October 28, 1893, the tranquility of Chicago was shattered with the assassination of its mayor, Carter Harrison, who was shot on the doorstep of his own house. The crime shocked every American but the one who was shook the most was Polish immigrant Casimir Zeglen.
Zeglen, a man of the cloth and profound spirituality, found himself deeply troubled by the recurring specter of anarchist violence targeting public figures since his arrival in America. Determined to confront this epidemic of chaos and bloodshed, he turned his inventive mind towards a solution that could potentially spare countless lives. His brainchild? A revolutionary, lightweight bulletproof vest designed to be discreetly worn beneath ordinary attire, thereby thwarting the designs of would-be assassins without drawing attention to its wearer's vulnerability.
A bulletproof vest being tested in 1923. Photo credit: Library of Congress
Click Here to read more Amusing Planet
