Today in History—January 15: Dashing the Myth of the Haberdashery Riot

January 15, 1797: A top-hat riot that (probably) never happened

The story goes that on this day in 1797, an alarming sight caused a ruckus on the streets of London: a man wore a top hat.

It was made of beaver and brushed silk, as were most men’s hats at the time. But this one was so tall that women fainted, children fled, and dogs snarled. In the commotion, one man was nearly trampled and broke his arm. The wearer, haberdasher (read: hatmaker) John Hetherington, was supposedly fined 500 pounds for inciting a riot and upsetting the peace.

This is almost certainly not how it happened.

For one, 500 pounds in 1797 would be roughly 81,000 pounds today (or more than $100,000). At the time, an annual income of 100 pounds was considered solidly middle class. And second, this date lands in London’s Bloody Code era, when more than 200 trivial crimes—from stealing a sheep to wrecking a fish pond—were punishable by death. If Hetherington had indeed sparked a street riot, he’d have been far more likely to face a jury weighing the matter of his execution than a fine of five years’ salary.

Still, the story persists because there is a thread of truth to it. (And because it’s fun.) The top hat really did debut about this time. Most credit George Dunnage with its invention in 1793; he patented the design the following year. By 1796 top hats were spotted in Paris. Within a decade, they were everywhere. Top hats were the height of fashion. (Literally. Some were 2 feet tall.) The style was adopted by gentlemen—and by those who served them, including policemen and carriage drivers.

Fun Fact

Demand for hats nearly wiped out North American beavers.

By 1850 top hats were no longer shocking. They were respectable and dignified—and they’d become associated with wealth, a symbol of seriousness and authority. Though Charles Dickens likened the style to a “chimney-pot,” calling them “neither convenient nor graceful.”

The fad didn’t last. By the 1920s, softer, casual styles were taking over, and by the end of World War II, the top hat had basically vanished. All that remains is the legend of frightening fashion.