Edward W. Bullard invented the hard hat in 1919, then patented it in 1929. It's credited with saving lives on job sites while also becoming a symbol of working-class America.

A company started by two scientists has developed a hard hat that will do a better job protecting workers from on-the-job brain injuries. (Story aired on All Things Considered on Sept. 9, 2022.) ...

It all started at a western-attire store on US Route 30 near Lancaster, ... Hard hats evolved over the intervening decades. In 1938, the company introduced an aluminum model.