In the winter of 1797, an inventor named Hetherington debuted his very first Top Hat. He walked through the streets with his "stovepipe" invention until a large crowd gathered around him.

It caused such a commotion that it's inventor was whisked away by his collar to appear before the court. He was accused of "
disturbing public order."

 

The officer, described his offence as the following: "Hetherington had such a tall and shiny construction on his head that it must have terrified nervous people. The sight of this construction was so overstated that various women fainted, children began to cry and dogs started to bark. One child broke his arm among all the jostling."

Hetherington was acquitted based on his defence "on the right of every Englishman to place what he wanted on his head."

 

The Times, agreed and added:
"Hetherington's hat points to a significant advance in the transformation of dress. Sooner or later, everyone will accept this headwear. We believe that both the court and the police made a mistake here."

After reading that children cried and women fainted, I thought another commotion was due, but this time in Tiny Top Hat Attire...
... I think I hear a dog barking somewhere ...