National Hat Day

January 15th is National Hat Day. Men have been wearing some sort of hat to cover their heads for a long time. The first record of it comes from ancient artwork in a tomb in Thebes from about 3200 BC. We know men also wore hats in ancient Greece and Rome.

In Medieval times, hats marked the social status of the wearer, as well as denoted certain groups. For example, the Fourth Council of the Lateran in 1215 required that all Jews wear a special hat to signify they were Jewish. Anti-Semitism began well before the Inquisition or Hitler.

The 1700's saw bicornes and tricornes, with some sporting large plumes. Then, London society made the top hat popular for a time and this drove the fur trade

in America and made it lucrative. Two famous hatters came out of London during this time, James Lock and Company and Sharp & Davis. Hat collectors still look for these.

For years, English society drove hat styles in America. However, after the Civil War, the western hat became popular in the States. The first cowboy hat was worn in Texas, but other Western regions adapted their own versions. The cowboy curled his wide brim or rolled it up on the sides to make it less likely to blow off in the wind. Stetson began producing their western hats after most of the style changes had

been made. To this day, the name "Stetson" is synonymous with the cowboy hat.

The baseball cap is probably the most popular style of hat today. No doubt the future holds others to add to their long history.

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