It seems like hard hats have always been around. But the invention, which has dramatically changed many industries for the better and saved countless lives over the years, had to come from somewhere.
A Cynthiana, Ky.-based protective-equipment manufacturer named Bullard
claims credit for the invention
. According to company lore, the founder's son, E.W. Bullard, returned from World War I with the idea of adapting his iconic "doughboy" army helmet for use as protective headgear for miners. The result was the "Hard Boiled Hat," introduced in 1919 for industrial and emergency-response applications.
The hard hat has evolved over the decades from a leather-and-fabric contraption to the lightweight polyethylene-plastic version we know today. "The original 'Hard Boiled Hat' was manufactured out of steamed canvas, glue, a leather brim, and black paint," according to current CEO Wells Bullard.
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"My great-grandfather built a suspension device into what became the world's first commercially available industrial head-protection device. We may take it for granted today, but we are proud to be celebrating 100 years of an innovation that truly helped our country grow and keep the hard-working women and men who built it safer."
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