Did you know......

Did you know.....

Hats have been around for thousands of years! One of the first pictorial depictions of a hat appears in a Thebes tomb painting which shows a man wearing a coolie-style straw hat.

A hat is often thought of as the most important fashion accessory as it immediately draws attention to the face. If you want to get ahead and get noticed, then get a hat!

Nowadays in the UK, a 'hatmaker' is the technical term for a manufacturer of men's hats, whilst a 'milliner' makes ladies' hats.

The term 'mad as a hatter' originated from the 1800s when hatters used to apply warmed mercury nitrate to fur felts resulting in the inhalation of fumes which (amongst other symptoms) caused pschycotic behaviour.

The first bowler was designed in 1849 by London hatmakers Thomas and William Bowlers. It was for Edward Coke who wanted a hat to protect his head from overhanging branches whilst riding. To test the hat, Mr Coke immediately threw it on the floor and stamped on it! It passed the test and he bought it for 12 shillings.

Ecuador began producing Panama hats in 1630! They did not start exporting them until the early 1800s.

There has been a Panama for sale in the USA in 2011 at the price of $100,000. It is exquisite and took the maker 5 months to complete.

National Hat Day in the USA is on 15th January each year.