Bulletproof Ointment

1915: Inventor Percy Terry of Los Angeles believed that he had perfected an ointment that would toughen the skin so much that it would become bulletproof. He envisioned "an army of bulletproof men who could advance with immunity against anything less than cannon."

He decided to test the ointment on himself. After rubbing it into his skin for several weeks, he shot himself in the face. Turned out, he wasn't bulletproof. He died at the County Hospital.

Los Angeles Times - Aug 30, 1915

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Posted By: Alex - Sat Aug 20, 2022
Category: Death | Experiments | 1910s | Weapons

Comments

A good candidate for the Darwin Award.

Posted by Judy on 08/20/22 at 08:03 AM

Sheesh... At the very least test it on your arm or leg rather than your face!

Posted by Richard Bos on 08/20/22 at 02:23 PM

A "hippopotamus skin" wouldn't be enough -- people hunted hippos with some of the same rifles used by the German army at the time.

Posted by Phideaux on 08/20/22 at 05:37 PM

@Phideaux: as noted by Hilaire Belloc:

I shoot the Hippopotamus
With bullets made of platinum,
Because if I use leaden ones
His hide is sure to flatten 'em.

Posted by Richard Bos on 08/23/22 at 12:22 PM

I call BS. The writing style is too florid, even for the era. No sources or witnesses cited. And the description of events that occurred while the (purported) subject was alone is a dead giveaway that it's fiction.

Posted by FRANK HARRIS on 08/29/22 at 10:57 AM

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