Hard Hat Inventor Being Posthumously Inducted into National Inventors Hall of Fame

Edward W. Bullard, inventor of the first commercially available hard hat, will be posthumously honored as part of the latest class of National Inventors Hall of Fame Inductees.

In partnership with the United States Patent and Trademark Office , NIHF will honor the inductees May 5 during “The Greatest Celebration of American Innovation.” The event will take place at the USPTO Headquarters in Alexandria, Virginia.

Realizing the need for greater safety within the mines, Bullard designed a hard hat for miners inspired by the steel doughboy helmet he wore as a soldier.

Bullard first produced the Hard Boiled Hat by alternating layers of canvas and glue, then steaming the stiff canvas to make it temporarily pliable. Next, he glued together overlapping layers of the canvas to form the shell, covered the shell inside and out with water-resistant shellac and added leather front and rear brims.

The Hard Boiled Hat met the miners’ needs and quickly spread to other industries. It was used by workers on both the Hoover Dam and Golden Gate Bridge projects. Bullard went on to patent several improvements to his original design, including an adjustable suspension system that distributes the force of a blow.

With the introduction of the hard hat, the Bullard Co. expanded and began manufacturing industrial safety equipment. Owned by the Bullard family and led by E.W. Bullard’s great-granddaughter, today the company is a leading manufacturer of personal protective equipment and systems that are marketed worldwide.

To learn more, visit invent.org.