Balaclava (clothing)

[1][2] The name comes from their use at the 1854 Battle of Balaclava during the Crimean War, referring to the town near Sevastopol in Crimea,[3] where British troops there wore knitted headgear to keep warm.

Race drivers in Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile sanctioned events must wear balaclavas made of fire-retardant material underneath their crash helmets.

[6] In 2008, police in Kent confiscated a copy of the War on Terror board game partly because of the inclusion of a balaclava, stating that it "could be used to conceal someone's identity or could be used in the course of a criminal act.

"[7] In South Asia, balaclavas are commonly referred to as monkey caps because of their typical earth tone colours, and the fact that they blot out most human facial features.

[8] In December 2006, the United States Marine Corps began issuing balaclavas with hinged face guards as part of the Flame Resistant Organizational Gear program.

[9][10] In the Soviet Union, the balaclava became a part of standard OMON (special police task force) uniform as early as the Perestroyka years of the late 1980s.