Whats the worst that could happen from wrong fashion choices?
A little bit of teasing and ridicule from your friends, sure.
But rarely will anyone make a run at enforce ones personal style upon another with violence.
Yet thats exactly what happened nearly a century ago in New York.
Back in the 19th and early 20th centuries, hats were a popular accessory to every gentlemens street attire.
Men wore hats throughout the year, whether it was freezing cold or sweltering hot.
But wearing hats during summer was uncomfortable.
So starting from the 1900s, men started wearing breathable straw hats during the summer months.
A sea of straw hats seen at a baseball match.
The practice became such a nuisance that newspapers cautioned citizens as September 15 approached.
The article warned: The best time to prevent such an outcome is now, before it happens.
The Pittsburg Presssobservation came true twelve years later, in 1922.
The brawl got so bad that it stopped traffic on the Manhattan Bridge.
Police eventually broke up the fight and arrested a few people.
Even the police were not spared.
The riots continued the next day and the day after.
Others had their parents summoned and instructed to give their kids a good spanking, which many fathers compiled.
The longest sentence anyone received was three days in jail.
While many suffered during the riots, hat stores profited.
They reportedly stayed open late and thrived selling felt hats.
Similar riots ensued in 1925 and many arrests were made in New York.
The practice died out by the 1930s as straw hats fell out of fashion in favor of Panama hats.