Straw Hat Revolt of 1922 (7 photos)

What's the worst that can happen from choosing the wrong clothes? Maybe your friends will just walk over you for looking ridiculous.





But rarely does anyone try to force their style on someone else. Yet that's exactly what happened a century ago in New York.



In the 19th and early 20th centuries, hats were a popular accessory for every gentleman's street attire. Men wore hats in all seasons, cold or hot. But in the summer, they were uncomfortable to wear. So, starting in the 1900s, breathable straw hats began to be worn. At first, they were used only during sporting events, such as boating. Over time, this summer headwear was considered acceptable to wear with any clothing.





However, there was an unwritten rule that men were to take off their straw hats as soon as the summer ended and return to the more suitable felt ones. The date chosen for this change was September 15th. Anyone who wore a straw hat longer than that risked having his hat knocked off and trampled by street urchins. This practice became so unpleasant that newspapers warned citizens of the approaching September 15th.



Some cases of hat snatching were more violent than others.

The Pittsburgh Press, in an article on September 15, 1910, described a case in which the police had to intervene "in more than one instance to protect pedestrians in straw hats." While attributing the organized demonstrations against straw hats to "youthful riot," the press nevertheless foresaw the dangerous consequences:

It is all right for stockbrokers to destroy each other's hats if they like. But no one likes to have his hat snatched from his head by someone he does not yet know, and if this informality becomes general, there are bound to be a few stubborn gentlemen who will regard the sport as a physical attack and defend themselves in such a way as to spoil the enjoyment of all concerned."



The Pittsburgh Press's observation came true twelve years later, in 1922. It all began when a few kids decided to spice up the tradition two days before the date by snatching the hats of factory workers and trampling on them. When a gang of youngsters tried the same trick on a group of dock workers, they retaliated and a fight ensued. The fight escalated to the point of stopping traffic on the Manhattan Bridge. Police eventually broke up the fighting and arrested several people.

That evening, gangs of teenagers roamed the streets with large sticks, sometimes with a nail driven into the top, looking for pedestrians in straw hats and beating up those who resisted. The police were not spared either. One detective was attacked by a gang on the corner of 102nd Street and Third Avenue. Several people were hospitalized for the beatings they received, and numerous arrests were made.



The riots continued the next day and the day after. Dozens of arrests were made during the three days, but since many of the hat snatchers were under 15, they were released with fines. Others had their parents called in and told to spank their children, which many fathers did. The longest sentence was three days in jail.

While many suffered during the riots, the hat shops benefited. They reportedly stayed open late selling felt hats.



The hat snatching tradition continued for some time after the 1922 riots, and one man was even killed for it in 1924. Similar riots occurred in 1925, with many arrests made in New York City.

The practice died out by the 1930s, when straw hats went out of fashion, replaced by Panama hats.