In January of 1797 a hatter named Hetherington appeared in the streets of London wearing a top hat in the shape of a stovepipe. Within a short time a large crowd had had gathered around him. There was such chaos that the officer of the law grabbed Hetherington by the collar and summoned him before the court. He was accused of disturbing public order. The good officer described the offense as follows:
"Hetherington had such a tall and shiny construction on his head that it must have terrified nervous people. The sight of this construction was so overstated that various women fainted, children began to cry and dogs started to bark. One child broke his arm among all the jostling."
The hatter defended himself by saying it is the right of every Englishman to place what he wanted on his head. The London Times agreed and wrote the following day:
"Hetherington's hat points to a significant advance in the transformation of dress. Sooner or later, everyone will accept this headwear. We believe that both the court and the police made a mistake here."
The Times was right. Top hats were soon all the rage in London and around the world.
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