School is in session at the Warped.info site. Now pay attention - there may be a test at the end. Today we have a history lesson. Not your usual run-of-the-mill lesson, but one that can help protect your head if you’re not careful.

The site is called The History of Hard Hats. A hundred years ago, the hard hat didn’t exist. And fifty years ago, head protection wasn’t widely required for workers. But, thanks to advances in safety, the hard hat has evolved over the decades. The hard hat concept comes from a company called Bullard, a hundred-year-old, family-owned manufacturer of personal protective equipment, specializing in industrial head protection, including hard hats, firefighter head protection, and supplied-air respiratory protection. Established in San Francisco in 1898, Bullard sold carbide lamps and mining equipment to gold and copper miners. I’m sure they came in handy during the reconstruction after the 1906 earthquake. The original ‘hard-boiled hat’ was manufactured out of steamed canvas, glue, and black paint.

So it is now test time. If you paid attention, it should be no problem. If you didn’t, there’ll be detention, and you’ll have to stay after school.

1. When were the first hard hats manufactured?

2. How has the design changed through the years?
3. Who manufactures the six million “skull buckets” sold each year to protect workers’ heads?

Now remember: No cheating, and don’t copy off your neighbor’s computer screen.

[tags]warp-o-meter,warped.info,history of hard hats,bullard,hard-boiled hat,skull bucket[/tags]