Hard hats have become an enduring symbol of blue-collar labor in America. This pragmatic piece of safety equipment protects against falling debris and rubble, as well as adverse weather conditions and electric shock. In order to prevent concussion and other head trauma, hard hats sit roughly an inch off the top of the wearer’s head, which provides an opportunity for the hat to cushion before impact.
Some claim that noted author Franz Kafka, who penned classics like ‘The Castle’, ‘The Trial’ and ‘Metamorphosis’, was responsible for the first hard hats, but there is no documentation to support this claim. Metals such as aluminum were used to construct early hard hats, but today most models are made from fiberglass and high-density thermoplastics.