Top 5 Weirdest Weapons

5. The Lantern Shield

A product of the Renaissance, the Lantern Shield was not only a defensive tool but a weapon in its own right. The Lantern Shield is a small buckler on which was an added gauntlet with serrated blades, a long blade parallel to the user’s arm, spikes and lantern attached to the center of the shield with a hook. The lanterns were covered with a leather flap and then were removed to confuse the attacker. But it wasn’t so much of a military weapon, it was used either by fencers or as protection from criminals while walking the city streets at night.
Whose idea was this?
It is unknown who invented the lantern shield but it came into use in 16th century Italy. It has been considered by some as a Swiss-army shield because it is a balance of defensive and attacking characteristics with a touch of psychological warfare thrown in for good measure.
4. Project Habakkuk


During World War II, metal was a precious commodity.  Allied forces were losing a lot of supply ships to German U-boats. So the British government planned to build an aircraft carrier out of pykrete (a mixture of ice and wood pulp). After much research, they determined that the carrier would be 2000 feet long with a 40 ft thick hull which would be built with an extensive cooling system and would be capable of carrying 150 planes. The pykrete itself was made out of 14% wood pulp and 86% water which was more easily repaired than traditional metal ships.
Whose idea was this?
The pykrete carrier was invented by Geoffrey Pyke while he was working at Combined Operations Headquarters. Although before any ships were produced, the war had come to an end and there was no longer a need to create these ships.
3. The Claw of Archimedes

The Claw of Archimedes was designed in the third century AD to protect the Carthaginian stronghold of Syracuse from a Roman naval attack. It was a giant crane with large grappling hooks attached to it with ropes. When a Roman ship got close to the city walls, the hooks would grab onto the ship and lift it partly out of the water. Then the ship was dropped causing them to capsize. The machine was so effectively hidden that the Romans began to think they were fighting against the Gods.
Whose idea was this?
One of the greatest minds of his time, Archimedes was charged with the task of defending Syracuse by its ruler Heiro. The Claw of Archimedes became useful during the Second Punic War when Rome attacked Syracuse with more than 220 Quinqueremes.
2. The Whirlwind Cannon

The Whirlwind Cannon was built in Germany during World War II to produce man-made whirlwinds. The machine worked by creating explosions in a combustion chamber and releasing them through nozzles at their targets. A smaller scale model was built and was capable of shattering planks 200 yards away. A full size Whirlwind Cannon was constructed but it was unable to produce whirlwinds at high altitudes and the project was scrapped.
Whose idea was this?
The Whirlwind Cannon was the brainchild of Dr. Zippermeyer, an Austrian inventor who built a number of odd anti-aircraft weapons out of an experimental establishment at Lofer in the Tyrol. During the war his work was closely watched by the German Office of Aeronautics as a way of protecting Germany from the overwhelming numbers of the Allied Air Forces.
1. Gay Bombs

The halitosis bomb or gay bomb was a theoretical non-lethal bomb that when deployed would release strong female pheromones. The idea was that the aphrodisiac would make enemy soldiers irresistible to each other thus they would become distracted and easier to attack.
Whose idea was this?
The gay bomb was never actually built but the idea was developed by the United States Air Force in 1994. The proposal was later discovered by the Sunshine Project through a Freedom of Information Act request.
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