Closure

This will be the end of this assignment but before I finish, i want to thank my lecturer Madam Hawinda for her useful consultation and guidance in getting me through this assignment. I would also like to thank my housemates for helping me in the things i dont know about. I have learned alot after going through this assignment. After this assignment, I am interested in knowing more about the creativity of man in creating something beyond our imagination.Thank you very much for visiting and have a nice day. Assalamualaikum

Emeici

     This weapon is from the Chinese. A weapon used with kung fu skills. It is just a small stick with arrowheads on each end. Its swiftness and small sized is unique because it provide quick attack for the holder. The weapon is much more subtle and concealable than any other sword or bladed weapon. The Chinese martial arts is famous for their quick and swift attack. The enemy would not notice that they are in danger before its too late. It is not a weapon made for slicing but for stabbing.Its simplicity and deadliness is why the weapon is unique.

Macuahitl

We have seen The Soviets, Germans, even African weapon. This is from a different civilization. This weapon is called a Macuahitl. It was made by the Aztecs. According to Aztecs military strategy, archers attack incoming enemy first. After they have run out out arrows and darts to shoot, warriors carrying these macuahitl comes out to initiate close quarter battles. Aztec warriors carry along defensive objects such as armors, shields and also head gears. The weapon was carved using oak into a cricket bat shape and sharp obsidian blades placed in the edges of the weapon. The weapon is not effective to kill as the blades are not fatal. It can mostly gash and slice enemy's skin but the wounds would not be too deep. It is also not used for stabbing

Hunga Munga

This is a Hunga Munga. This weapon was named by the African tribes south of Lake Tchad. This weapon was called differently in other tribes. For example, it was called Danisco, Goleyo and Njinga.. This weapon can be used for hand to hand combat and can also be thrown in a spinning action. the multiple blades makes it have a better chance in penetrating through the skin. Like other weapons, it comes in different shapes and sizes. This weapon was not known of its effectiveness but because of its uniqueness in terms of its shape. Not many people are aware of this weapon but it started became known when the series "Buffy The Vampire Slayer" came to television. It was a weapon used by Buffy from time to time to fight vampires and demons.

Arbalest

     This piece of machinery is called the Arbalest. It is also known as a Ballista. This weapon looks like a crossbow, works like a crossbow only its 10 times bigger than the usual crossbow. This weapon loads javelin weighing up to 10 pounds. Because of its huge in size, the Ballista could not be pulled by hand. The string is pulled by a simple wheel mechanism that reduces the force used to pull the strings. Ballista was also invented wagon mounted. This made the Ballista become easier to move around when attacking. The Ballista is considered as a siege weapon because of the destruction it could cause to buildings.

Exploding Rats

This is another unique weapons that consist of blowing up an animal. This time, its not dogs that blows up, but rats. These rats are equipped with explosives.  What makes this weapon capture my attention is that the application of this weapon seems to be very discreet. Explosive rats' main purpose is to destroy enemy's boilers. The explosive rats are put together with the coals to heat the boiler. When the rats are shoveled into the fire, it will explode, damaging the boiler. Effective for secret missions and also sabotaging missions. As brilliant as the weapon might be, it was never officially used.

Anti-Tank Dogs

     This is an Anti-Tank Dog. It is basically a dog, strapped with explosives and trained to go under enemy tanks. A trigger was strapped to a dog's body so that when the dog goes under a tank, the trigger will be pushed and the bombs strapped to the dog will explode. This means sacrificing the dogs. This idea of weaponry was used by the Soviets. When the idea came up, the Soviets started training dogs to go under enemy tanks. The training includes starving the dogs and putting meat under tanks so that they are familiar with what they have to do. Although it is effective against tanks, it uses animal cruelty and is not acceptable. The usage of animal is what makes the weapon unique

The Claws of Archimedes

One of Archimedes' historical inventions that could not be proved its existence but highly possible. This is the Archimedes' Claw. It is mainly a structure used to defend the coastal part of the territory. The concept of this structure is used to lift an enemy's ship and drop it, causing a tremendous shake for the people on board. The genius idea and calculation of Archimedes was believed to have been used to defend the city of Syracuse. Although the Claw of Archimedes was not proved to exist, a study concluded that it was a workable device. Though this weapon might not exist, its unique idea of the weapon should not be overlooked

Trebuchet

     A weapon used to break down walls and destroy buildings. The Trebuchet was a siege weapon used by many civilization during the Medival Era. Similar to what a catapult does, the weapon's main objective is to destroy walls, fortress, castles or any other buildings. The difference between these two that makes a trebuchet better and more unique than a catapult is its firing mechanism. A catapult propels a hard object towards its target whereas a trebuchet uses a sling method. The sling method hurls an object with better accuracy and better force applied. to make it simpler, a trebuchet destroys better than a catapult.

Winan's Steam Gun

     This four-wheeled weapon is called Winan's Steam Gun. According to the history of this weapon, The Winan's Steam Gun can shoot 300 bullets in one minute. The half-coned metal acts as the armor for its machinery. It is very accurate and its bullet can go as far as a mile if not more. This weapon however, was not widely used around the world. It is believed to be because not many civilization were introduced to this invention.Winan's Steam Gun was never introduced to anyone except its maker until it was seized by a Massachusetts' volunteer on his way to a rebel camp. Though it looks funny and not well organized, this weapon firing shots using steam-powered technology is the main reason of its uniqueness.

Puckle Gun

     Looks like a gatling, works like a gatling but not a gatling gun. This is what we call the start of the idea for a gatling gun. Puckle comes from the name of the inventor, James Puckle. This is what they use in the 18th century as a machine gun. It has the capability to fire seven rounds per minute. May sound like a small number but during the 18th century, it was certainly something an army should be avoiding. Though it sounds like a very crucial weapon to be used in open combat, the puckle gun was never used by the British army. Said that it uses too much cylinders. The uniqueness of this machine is mostly because of its cylinder.The gun has the concept of interchangable cylinders. Cylinders that holds normal bullets, and also square bullets. Square bullets were claimed to be used to shoot muslim Turks. Square bullets was believed to cause more pain than normal bullets. It was used to give out the message about "the benefits of christian civilization"

Lantern Shield

     This is a Lantern Sheild. This is a weapon designed by the Italians during "The Renaissance". The idea of this weapon is basically to infuse both defensive and offensive characteristics. The weapon is naturally a gauntlet equipped with a small shield and a small knife. This weapon is effective in breaking a swordsman's defense. This weapon was believed to not have been used in combat but during walks in Italy at night time. Some of this weapon designed was equipped with lantern hanging on a hook in the center of the shield. The lantern was for the purpose of blinding the attacker and playing a little psychological warfare towards the enemy. The weapon might not be effective in war but it definitely played a big role for the safety of Italian citizen.

Chu Ko Nu

     This is the "Chu Ko Nu". It also known as The Repeating Crossbow.In the recent war of Chinese against Japan within the year 1894 to 1895, The Chu Ko Nu was used in the interior of China. This weapon is highly effective compared to a normal crossbow. Instead of shooting 1 to 2 arrows, The Chu Ko Nu can release 10 arrows in 15 seconds. The Chu Ko Nu loads four times-if not more- faster than the normal crossbow. The cartilage for storing arrows are the reason for the swift loading time. This weapon also has a disadvantage.The arrowheads are often dipped with poisonous substance. This is because the small and light arrow causes the weapon to have less penetrative power. By dipping poison, this weapon will be deadly even if it only slices the skin.

Katar

     The weapon in the image above is called the "Katar" or another name for it, the Bundi Dagger. It is considered as a native weapon by the indian subcontinent. Katars are commonly used by the indians befoer the 19th century. The uniqueness of this weapon is that, instead of a normal dagger stabbing procedure, this weapon stabs through punching. This is because the blade of the dagger is positioned above the knuckes instead of on the side. The weapon is light and easy to handle as it is also small. Katar is famous because of its swiftness and quick attacks that it can bring. The picture above features the simple shape of a Katar. Some Katars have a mechanism that allows the weapon to split like scissors. This works when the holder squeezes the handle together. The blade splitting is for the purpose of shredding a person's inside so that it deals more damage. This weapon is also effective against armored foe because it is also designed for armor piercing. Some people binds the weapon with their hand using cloth to increase their grip on the weapon. Katars are also produced with build-in  shields extended on the back of the user's hand. These Katars are called "Hooded Katar"

Introduction

     Assalamualaikum and selamat sejahtera I bid to all viewers. To those of you who has seen my last blog which was titled "Critical Literacy", this blog will be quite different from it.  As both are for educational purposes, this blog features unique weapons that was designed by people around the world. In this blog, you will find out more about unique weapons designed by indians, soviets, germans and many more. The reason why I am interested in writing this blog is not only because it is my assignment, but also because I believe that people should learn more about the creativity of mankind in making weapons. Weapons are not only used to kill or injure, they are also used for self defense, safety of the people and prolonging one's lifetime. Before I start, I would like to thank my lecturer in the subject "Digital and Mobile Communication", Madam Hawinda binti Karmon, for giving me this assignment and guideline in making this blog proposal. I would also like to thank my classmates for their support in helping me find a topic to write about.