WorldWar I, another 600,000 Armenians
died of starvation or were killed by
Turks. After the war Armenia enjoyed a
brief period of independence.
In 1920 the Soviet Union invaded
Armenia and forced it to accept a Communist
government. Two years later the
Soviets formed the Transcaucasian Soviet
Federated Socialist Republic, which
included Armenia, Azerbaijan, and
Georgia. The three countries became
separate republics within the Soviet
Union in 1936.
On September 23, 1991, Armenia
declared its independence from the
Soviet Union. However, Armenia still
relied on economic and military help
from Russia.
In the 1990s Armenia fought with
neighboring Azerbaijan over control of
Nagorno-Karabakh, an area of Azerbaijan
with a largely Armenian population.
Armenia took control of the region
and other Azerbaijani territory in 1993.
The continuing conflict hurt Armenias
economy. Many Armenians left the
country.
..More to explore
Azerbaijan Ottoman Empire Union
of Soviet Socialist Republics Yerevan
Schoolchildren walk toward a monument in
Yerevan. The monument honors thousands
of Armenians who were killed in 1915.
Facts About
ARMENIA
Population
(2008 estimate)
2,996,000
Area
11,484 sq mi
(29,743 sq km)
Capital
Yerevan
Form of
government
Republic
Major cities
Yerevan, Gyumri,
Vanadzor
(Kirovakan)
BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA Armenia 185
Armor
When people think of armor, images of a
knight covered in clanking metal often
come to mind.However, the word armor
is used for any kind of clothing that is
intended to protect the wearer in combat.
As weapons have changed, armor has
changed also. An outfit that stops an
arrow might not work against a bullet.
Like early clothing, early armor came
from animals. Thousands of years ago
warriors cushioned their bodies against
the blows of clubs with layers of furry
hides. Chinese warriors in the 1000s BC
wore armor made of layers of rhinoceros
hide.
Later, people learned to use plates made
of tough material such as metal, horn,
wood, or plastic. Plate armor provided
great protection to the body. The ancient
Greeks used bronze plates made to fit the
body and limbs. The ancient Romans
favored plate armor made of iron.
Since ancient times warriors have worn armor to protect themselves during battle. Armor
has taken many different forms over the centuries.
186 Armor BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA
Plate armor was not very flexible, however,
and in the early Middle Ages mail,
or chain mail, became the main form of
armor. Mail was made of interlinked
rings of iron or steel. Mail was flexible
and could be worn as a shirt, as leggings,
or as a hood.
By the 1300s, plate armor was being
made in such a way that the person
wearing it could move freely. The armor
that protected the knights of Europe
during the late Middle Ages was made
of large steel or iron plates. This kind of
armor replaced mail.
As firearms became more powerful,
armor had to get heavier. Eventually
armor became too heavy and bulky to be
practical. Plate armor disappeared completely
in the 1700s.
Some forms of armor continue to be
important in modern times. Soldiers
wear helmets and other protective
clothing. A common form of modern
body armor used today is the
bulletproof vest. Worn especially by
police officers, it often has a lining of
overlapping steel disks. Fiberglass and
other light artificial materials are
sometimes used as well.
Armstrong,
Lance
U.S. athlete Lance Armstrong was one
of the greatest professional cyclists. He is
the only person to have won the Tour de
Francethe worlds most difficult
bicycle raceseven times.
Lance Armstrong was born on September
18, 1971, in Plano, Texas. He was
good at sports at an early age. After finishing
high school, he devoted himself
to cycling. In 1990 he won that sports
U.S. Amateur Championship.
Armstrong began to earn money as a
professional cyclist in 1992. The next
year he won the world championships in
mens road racing and many other competitions.
In 1996 Armstrong was ranked the top
male cyclist in the world. But later that
year he fell seriously ill with cancer. Surgery
and chemical treatments called chemotherapy
eventually saved his life.
Doctors doubted that Armstrong could
return to a sport as physically demanding
as cycling. However, Armstrong won
the Tour de France in 1999. He went on
to win every Tour de France for the next
six years. After his victory in 2005, Arm-
Lance Armstrong
was
only the second
person
from the
United States
ever to win the
Tour de
France.
Lance Armstrong (in yellow) nears the end
of the Tour de France bicycle race in 2005.
BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA Armstrong, Lance 187
strong retired from professional cycling.
He devoted himself to raising awareness
about cancer. He returned to racing in
2009 and placed third in the Tour de
France that year.
..More to explore
Bicycle Cycling
Armstrong, Louis
U.S. trumpet player and singer Louis
Armstrong was one of the worlds
greatest jazz musicians. He influenced
nearly all jazz horn players who came
after him.
Louis Daniel Armstrong was born on
August 4, 1901, in New Orleans, Louisiana.
As a boy he earned some money
by singing in the streets. After he fired a
pistol one New Years Eve, he was sent
to a home for troubled kids in 1913.
There he learned to play cornet.
In 1922 cornetist King Oliver invited
Armstrong to Chicago to join his band.
Armstrong later joined Fletcher
Hendersons big band in New York City
for a year.
Armstrong returned to Chicago and
began playing the trumpet. By 1929 he
was famous, and he toured the United
States and Europe as a trumpet soloist
accompanied by big bands. He started
performing popular songs in addition to
jazz. He also began to sing lyrics in a low,
rough voice that was very distinctive.
After 1935 Armstrong appeared in
movies and on radio and television. In
1940 he formed Louis Armstrongs
All-Stars, a Dixieland band with six
musicians. For most of the rest of his
life, he toured with this group. He died
on July 6, 1971, in New York City.
..More to explore
Jazz Popular Music
Armstrong, Neil
In 1969 U.S. astronaut Neil Armstrong
became the first person to walk on the
Moon. Millions of people watched on
television as Armstrong stepped out of
his spacecraft and said, Thats one
small step for [a] man, one giant leap for
mankind.
Neil Alden Armstrong was born on
August 5, 1930, in Wapakoneta, Ohio.
He became interested in airplanes at a
young age. He received his pilots
license on his 16th birthday. After high
school Armstrong became an air cadet
in the U.S. Navy. In the 1950s he was a
Louis Armstrong pilot in the Korean War.
Louis Armstrongs
nickname
was
Satchmo.
188 Armstrong, Louis BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA
In 1955 Armstrong joined the National
Aeronautics and Space Administration
(NASA) as a test pilot. Seven years later
Armstrong became an astronaut.