Category:
Headgear
Headgear
Lightning Rod Hat
AKA "Le chapeau paratonnerre." Details from Amelia Soth on JStor Daily:According to the popular science writer Louis Figueir, all the excitement about the new knowledge of electricity led to an odd trend: in his recounting, Paris in the 1770s saw a fad for ladies’ lightning-rod caps, trimmed with metallic thread connecting to a cord that dragged along the ground. The (extremely flawed) theory was that the cord would carry a lightning bolt harmlessly away from the wearer. He also writes of a lightning-rod umbrella proposed by one of Ben Franklin’s acolytes, Jacques Barbeu-Dubourg. The umbrella would be surmounted with a metal pole and trail a silver braid to bear away the charge.
image source: wikimedia
A more recent version of a lightning-rod hat:
Tampa Bay Times - Aug 16, 1975
Posted By: Alex - Tue Jun 21, 2022 -
Comments (0)
Category: Headgear, Weather, Eighteenth Century
Las Floristas Headdress Ball
It seems that this charity group does not do the annual Headdress Ball any longer. But we can still marvel at the past.See more photos here.
Posted By: Paul - Thu May 05, 2022 -
Comments (2)
Category: Charities and Philanthropy, Fashion, Headgear, Twentieth Century, Twenty-first Century
Bird-Cage Earrings Containing Live Birds
Worn by actress Shary Marshall - Apr 1967. Designed by Lynda Bird Johnson, daughter of President Johnson. The cages contained Australian Snow Finches.
The Orlando Sentinel - Apr 1, 1967
They would pair well with this bird hat that we've previously posted about (worn by actress Jane Bough in 1968).
Posted By: Alex - Wed Feb 23, 2022 -
Comments (3)
Category: Fashion, Headgear, 1960s
Pac-Man Hat
From Stephen Jones Millinery, Spring 2009.
via gastt_fashion
Posted By: Alex - Fri Nov 12, 2021 -
Comments (0)
Category: Headgear, Videogames and Gamers
William Redgrave’s Safety Travelling Cap
The British patent office granted William Redgrave two patents. The first (No. 2888 - 1853) was for a "safety travelling cap". The second (No. 762 - 1859) was for a "pillow travelling cap". However, the two patents seem to describe the same invention. They just emphasize different uses for it.Redgrave's patented cap consisted of three air-tight, circular tubes that would wrap around a wearer's head. His idea was that this would provide a measure of safety for travelers, because if the traveler fell the inflated tubes would cushion his head:
Thus, should a person wearing it be violently thrown against the sides of a railway carriage or in contact with a person on the opposite seat to him, or be thrown from a carriage, chaise, or any other conveyance, his head is perfectly secure from injury.
The cap could also serve as a pillow (thus, the second patent):
A person wearing the cap can repose with the greatest comfort in any position, quite as well as if he had a pillow placed beneath his head, and is werewithal as light as any ordinary cap; it is excellently adapted for travellers to and residents in hot climates, forasmuch as they can throw themselves on the deck of a vessel or anywhere else, and enjoy a most comfortable repose.
Finally, Redgrave noted that the cap was "an excellent invention for lunatics." Presumably because lunatics might fall over a lot. Or hit their head against a wall.
Unfortunately Redgrave provided no drawings of his safety cap.
Posted By: Alex - Thu Nov 04, 2021 -
Comments (0)
Category: Inventions, Patents, Headgear, Nineteenth Century
Wham-O’s Sunvu
It protected your face from the sun... just like a hat. While looking more ridiculous.
image source: flashbak.com
Posted By: Alex - Sun Sep 26, 2021 -
Comments (1)
Category: Headgear, 1960s
Combined hat and comb
In 1920, Alva Dawson of Florida was granted a patent for a "combined head covering and hair comb". In his patent he explained:Among the objects of the invention is to provide a combined head covering and comb so constructed and arranged that the wearer of the head covering may comb up his hair coincidentally with the removal of the head covering from his head, and hence without rendering himself conspicuous in so doing.
I'm pretty sure it wasn't possible to use this hat-comb without rendering yourself very conspicuous.
Popular Science - Oct 1920
Posted By: Alex - Sun May 02, 2021 -
Comments (0)
Category: Patents, Headgear, 1920s, Hair and Hairstyling
Glue-On Sweat Diverter
Rosecroft Components recently (Dec 2019) was granted a patent for a glue-on "sweat diverter". From their patent:When undertaking an activity causing sweating, a person can suffer from the effects of sweat dripping into his eyes. Many devices have been developed to address this problem, such as absorbent sweatbands. Such devices fail to prevent sweat from reaching the eyes once they become saturated, and must be dried or wrung out in order to restore their effectiveness...
Described herein are sweat-diverting devices which may be affixed to a wearer by an adhesive, such as a pressure-sensitive adhesive...
A sweat-diverting device may be reusable, with an adhesive reapplied for each wearing, or may be single use and disposable, with the adhesive integrated with the device during manufacturing.
Described herein are sweat-diverting devices which may be affixed to a wearer by an adhesive, such as a pressure-sensitive adhesive...
A sweat-diverting device may be reusable, with an adhesive reapplied for each wearing, or may be single use and disposable, with the adhesive integrated with the device during manufacturing.
Posted By: Alex - Sun Oct 25, 2020 -
Comments (1)
Category: Fashion, Headgear, Inventions, Patents, Body Fluids
Airplane Hat
Created by Gilbert Myers of Boise, Idaho. He was evidently worried that someone might steal his idea because, in 1929, he patented it. From the patent:an important object of this invention is to provide a novelty hat in the form of a simulated air plane intended to be worn during festivals, parades, dances, expositions lawn parties and the like especially when aviation is the subject of the celebration...
Use of a number of novelty hats constructed as herein disclosed has demonstrated that the hat enjoys the favor of adults as well as children and may be applied to heads of various sizes in a highly convenient and expeditious manner and will remain firmly in place, all without exerting an objectionable pressure on the head.
Use of a number of novelty hats constructed as herein disclosed has demonstrated that the hat enjoys the favor of adults as well as children and may be applied to heads of various sizes in a highly convenient and expeditious manner and will remain firmly in place, all without exerting an objectionable pressure on the head.
The picture below shows the airplane hat being worn. (The accompanying article identified it as Myers's hat).
Minneapolis Star Tribune - Feb 2, 1930
These other photos, of actress Alice White, I'm not so sure about. It looks a lot like his hat. If it isn't, someone ignored his patent.
source: Flickr
Battle Creek Enquirer - Jan 14, 1930
Posted By: Alex - Sun Feb 23, 2020 -
Comments (2)
Category: Patents, Air Travel and Airlines, Headgear, 1920s
Underwear on head in restaurant
“How would you like to be eating a hamburger and turn around and see some dude wearing jockey shorts on his head?”
Indianapolis News - May 20, 1977
Posted By: Alex - Sat Oct 12, 2019 -
Comments (3)
Category: Eccentrics, Headgear, Underwear, 1970s
| Who We Are |
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| Alex Boese Alex is the creator and curator of the Museum of Hoaxes. He's also the author of various weird, non-fiction, science-themed books such as Elephants on Acid and Psychedelic Apes. Paul Di Filippo Paul has been paid to put weird ideas into fictional form for over thirty years, in his career as a noted science fiction writer. He has recently begun blogging on many curious topics with three fellow writers at The Inferior 4+1. Contact Us |