Bayonets

Soon after the advent of the musket, bayonets developed to assist hunters and armies. Originally, the bayonet was created so hunters could face wounded animals.

In military situations, the bayonet was needed because rifles at the time were inaccurate and required a lot of time to reload. The bayonet offered another fighting option for the soldier. Eventually, the bayonet became a wartime standard for armies and navies across the world.

Quick Facts

• The term bayonet originally applied to small, flat, unmounted knives
• Cold steel began being used as a colloquial term for knives since the 1700s
• To this day, bayonets are still issued to many modern armies, including the United States Army