Slingshot

A slingshot is a small hand-powered projectile weapon built around a Y-shaped frame, with two elastic bands, traditionally natural rubber or a synthetic equivalent, stretched from the top of the frame to a pouch that holds the projectile. One hand grips the frame while the other draws the pouch back to store energy before release. The weapon became practical only after Charles Goodyear's 1839 discovery of rubber vulcanization, patented in 1844, and early examples were homemade from forked branches and rubber salvaged from sources such as tire inner tubes; by 1860 they were already notorious for use in vandalism. In skilled hands a slingshot could take small game such as quail, pheasant, rabbits and squirrels using lead shot or ball bearings, and it remains in use today for recreational target sport, fishing bait dispersal and, on occasion, civil protest.