On the website of the Kevlar survivors' club are stories from many of its 2,800 members, mainly police officers describing how they owe their lives to the bullet-­resistant vest. They should also be thanking Lester Shubin and Nicholas Montanarelli, who in the 1970s, while working for the U.S. government, led the development of the vest. And while they're at it, they might also salute a small herd of goats that gave their lives in testing the new body armor.

Before the 1970s, soldiers had to make do with heavy, bulky nylon flak jackets that could resist shrapnel but were ineffective against bullets. Police officers found the jackets of little use, and they desperately needed something better.