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A little history of Bell Helmets!
Do you know that the company that makes Bell helmets did not start out making helmets? It was a company that sold auto parts -- Bell Auto Parts -- started by George Wight in Bell, California, in 1923. In 1933, Rogy Richter went to work for Wight....

How Important Is Your Golf Swing Release
An optimal golf swing release has a lot to do with the way the golfer controls their body and makes use of their muscles right from the back swing to the impact and follow through. And the muscles involved are not just those in the arm. The feet,...

In baseball, how does a pitcher throw a curveball?
In baseball, how does a pitcher throw a curveball? A successful major league batter gets a hit only 30 percent of the time he comes to bat. One of the ways pitchers lower these chances even further is by throwing a curveball. A curveball is...

Steroids and Teens - A Problem on the Rise
The media attention that steroids have received in recent months is good news and bad news for Minnesota parents. The good news is that the general public is much more aware of the dangers steroids pose to our youth. The bad news is that the...

Where Are the Black Head Coaches
http://www.collegecharlie.com/Blackcoaches.html About the Author Bill Cherry has been a prep school athletics administrator for 32 years. He is a form college football and baseball player and is the webmaster of the popular CollegeCharlie Sport...

 
A little history of Bell Helmets!

Do you know that the company that makes Bell helmets did not start out making helmets? It was a company that sold auto parts -- Bell Auto Parts -- started by George Wight in Bell, California, in 1923. In 1933, Rogy Richter went to work for Wight. Richter was a car racer who built the Bell Special from parts found in the company's junk yard. This was not a helmet, but rather, a midget race car. Richter had a racing career where he won numerous championships and set several records. In the course of his racing career, he saw a number of friends die in car race crashes.

In 1945, Richter purchases Bell Autoparts. In 1954, the first Bell helmet is manufactured: the "500." It was a car racing helmet, used in races including the Indianapolis 500. Cal Niday was the first to use it in the Indy 500, and he credits it with keeping him from serious injury when he crashed hard into a wall. In 1955, the Los Angeles police required helmets for its motorcycle officers. Bell eventually supplied


motorcycle helmets to more than 800 police departments. In 1961, more types of Bell helmets came out. From auto racing helmets, to helmets for sports like hockey, skiing, skydiving, baseball, football, to helmets for police and firemen.

The ski helmet was adapted for bicycle racing. In 1970, standards were set for bicycle helmets. And in 1975, the Bell Biker is introduced. And as they say, the rest is history. In 1983, the first Bell bicycle helmet developed for racing is introduced: the VI Pro. The company continues to produce bicycle helmets using available technologies, like the Microshell technology (1989), and the in-mold bonding process (1990). When mountain biking became popular, helmets for this were also made. Bell Helmets, Inc. -- a company with an interesting history.

About the author:

Mike Yeager
Publisher
http://www.my-helmet-4me.com/