MythBusters — S9 E12 "Paper Armor" — Aired June 29, 2011

Ancient Chinese armies reportedly used armor built from layers of folded paper as early as 600 BC, sometimes treated with resin or shellac, and Kari, Tory and Grant consulted an antique armor expert before testing several formulations to find that a thick layer of plain folded paper actually outperformed the resin-treated versions for penetration resistance, then built full suits of both paper and steel armor to run timed obstacle courses measuring speed, endurance and agility, finding paper consistently outperformed steel in every physical test, before finally attacking both suits with swords, arrows, an 18th century flintlock pistol and a 19th century revolver to find out whether the material that moved faster could also take a hit as well as the metal it was competing against.

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Using science as their weapon and curiosity as their fuel, Hollywood special effects experts Adam Savage and Jamie Hyneman spent 14 seasons and 296 episodes testing the world's most popular myths, urban legends, and movie moments. From the Diet Coke & Mentos explosion to surviving an underwater car escape — if it can be tested, they'll test it.

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