Messer (weapon) Messer (weapon) A messer (German for "knife") is a single-edged sword with a knife-like hilt construction. While the various names are often used synonymously, messers are divided into two types: "Lange Messer" ("long knives") are one-handed swords used by Bourgeoisie (middle-class civilians) for personal self-defence. They were about a meter long and may have evolved from the "Bauernwehr" ("peasant's sidearm"). They are also known as "Großes Messer" (Great Knife). "Kriegsmesser" ("war knife") are curved weapons up to 1.5m long, used with one or two hands, and normally wielded by professional warriors of the 14th to 16th century, such as the
Henry D. Messer 2012. The National LGBTQ Task Force dedicated its 2015 National Conference on LGBT Equality: Creating Change to Messer. Henry D. Messer Henry Davis Messer (September 22, 1927 – February 18, 2014) was an American LGBT rights activist and neurosurgeon. He was an early member of the Mattachine Society, involved with the first attempt to pass a human rights ordinance inclusive of sexual orientation in New York City, and co-founder of Triangle Foundation (today known as Equality Michigan). Messer was born in Madison, Florida on September 22, 1927 to Henry Messer, owner of a Chevrolet dealership, and Sarah Messer, a housewife.