JFK: "The man who killed hats"

[davidraphael]

http://www.primermagazine.com/2010/learn/the-man-who-killed-the-hat

I've heard it said a few times that JFK was the man who "killed the hat" after being the 1st president to take his off during his inauguration.
Do you think this single event was enough to actually "kill the hat" or were hats slowly becoming a thing of the past anyway?

 

[dhermann1]

Please refer to the ten thousand previous references to this issue already posted here at the Lounge over the years. General consensus: Of course he didn't.

 

[Annixter]

This article is a joke, right? How about this possible reason they give for hats falling out of popularity: "Before the 1940s, cars were not as streamlined, with air flow being a problem, causing men to wear hats to protect themselves. However, after vehicles started to become more streamlined and enclosed, men no longer needed hats to protect themselves." HaHaHa! Men stopped needing hats for protection because a 1939 Ford coupe is that much less streamlined than a 1955 Chevy coupe (Not by much, and the reverse might actually be true for this example). I wonder what the reason was for wearing hats hundreds of years prior to the horseless carriage? Wind turbulence from inadequately aerodynamic horses and buggies? Quite a silly little article, in my opinion.

 

[Wolfwood]

I still use a hat to protect myself. I'm not eternally inside my car.

Overall, I don't think there's a single reason why hats fell out of favour, but I think one affecting factor was the youth movement of 1950s which made hair styles more important than hat styles.

 

[The Wiser Hatter]

Hat life the industry mag. Has articles on the hat death since the early twentys. As said this comes up every three months. Along with Mr. Depp it is a common topic to be brought up.

 

[scotrace]

Always causes great ire.

Read "Hatless Jack," which puts the lie to this whole nonsense. Good grief. EVERY president removed his hat to speak.