Weapon
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Aweaponis anobjectthat can be used to attack orinjurea person oranimal.People have used weapons sinceancienttimes. While otheranimalsuse weapons, in most cases they areattachedto the animal (teeth,claws,tusks,etc.).[1]In man's case they are detached and constantly selected for thepurposeat hand.[1]Man has been constantlydevelopingnewer and better weapons ever since he picked up the firstrock.[2]
History[change|change source]
Some of the oldest remains that we have of ancient people are weapons made ofstone.Ancient people also usedspears.Bows and arrowswere in use by about 20,000BC.[3]During theBronze agepeople learned to make things ofmetal,many people usedswords.People also built huge machines which could throw rocks to destroy thedefensive wallsof enemy cities. Some of these machines were calledcatapultsorsiege engines.Later,gunpowderwas invented inChinaand theEuropeansbegan using it to makegunsandcannons.These weapons were much better than the older weapons, and helped the Europeans to conquer people in many parts of theworld.People in many parts of the world used guns such asriflesandshotgunsforhuntinganimals, andhandgunsfor shooting other people.
People continued to invent new weapons. In 1884 themachine gunwas invented, which could shoot manybulletsvery fast.Soldiersbegan to useland mines,a bomb hidden in the ground, whichexplodeswhen someone walks on it. Smallsubmarineswere able to usetorpedosto attack bigger ships and hide under the ocean. Whenairplaneswere invented, people began to use them to shoot enemies and to dropbombson them. They builttankswhich had big guns and strongarmor.Poison gaswas used inWorld War Ibut was outlawed and rarely used afterwards.
InWorld War II,cities were heavily bombed from the air andNazi GermanyusedV-2missiles to carry bombs toEngland.Both sides used manyfirebombs.At the end of World War II, theUnited Statesusedatomic bombs(nuclear bombs) to destroy theJapanesecities ofHiroshimaandNagasaki.
After World War II, people continued to develop new weapons, includingintercontinental ballistic missiles.People became concerned aboutweapons of mass destruction,weapons that can kill many people very fast, and are usually cheap and easy to make and use. One kind of weapon of mass destruction ispoison gas.New kinds of poison gas, such asnerve gas,are much more powerful than the old kinds. Another kind of weapon of mass destruction isdisease germs,which could be used to make many people sick and maybe kill them.
Laws[change|change source]
Old-fashioned weapons still kill many people in wars and fighting. In wars inAfricain the 1990s and early 21st century, many people were killed withmachetes(big knives). People sometimes try to makelaws,treaties,andinternational agreementsto try to control weapons because they are worried about all the killing done with them. Laws vary from country to country, for example, in theUnited States,the "right to keep and bear arms" is guaranteed to allcitizensby theConstitution.A country may say that people in that country cannot keep or use guns, or only when thegovernmentallows it. Thelaws of warforbid certain weapons, and countries may agree with each other that they should not use certain weapons against each other, or should not have more than a certain number of particular kinds of weapons.
Types of weapons[change|change source]
Things specifically made as weapons that most ordinary people can carry, include non lethal:
- Pepper sprayortear gas
- electricshocking devices
Weapons thatsoldiersorpolicepersonnel carry, include:
- Portable firearms are also used by forhuntingand for marksmanship practice.
Weapons that thedefensepeople of anationalgovernment have, include:
- Explosivebombsof any type,grenades
- Rocketsfor carrying bombs
- Boats,vehicles,andaircraftwith attached firearms, such aswarships,tanks,andfighterandbomberaircraft.
Other types of weapons include:
Related pages[change|change source]
References[change|change source]
- ↑1.01.1Robert L. O'Connell,Of Arms and Men: A History of War, Weapons, and Aggression(Oxford; New York: University of Oxford, 1989), p. 14
- ↑Chris McNab,A History of the World in 100 Weapons(Botley, Oxford; Long Island City, NY: Osprey Publishing, 2011), p. 5
- ↑"Timeline: Weapons technology".New Scientist.Retrieved31 October2015.