Celebrating Mad Hatter's Day
/“You’re mad, but I’ll tell you a secret: All the best people are.”
A few years ago, when we visited the Grand Portage National Monument, one small exhibit caught my attention. It explained how the expression ‘mad as a hatter” originated. I wrote a blog about the origin of the phrase, and it certainly wasn’t in reference to Lewis Carroll’s 1865 classic, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. Rather, it referred to the neurological symptoms that hat makers developed in the 18th and 19th centuries, caused by prolonged exposure to mercury nitrate used in the processing of fur hats. Symptoms like tremors, emotional instability, erratic behavior, and hallucinations were prevalent in the hat-making trade.
Over time, the phrase has evolved to mean behavior that’s silly or absurd. A group of computer techs in Boulder, Colorado, inspired by Victorian artist Sir John Tenniel’s vivid illustrations in Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, created Mad Hatter’s Day in 1986. A day reserved for absurdity.
Why October 6th, you ask? The label on the Mad Hatter's hat is a price tag that reads "In this style 10/6," which in British currency meant "ten shillings and sixpence", hence October 6th.
Instead of celebrating with absurdity, I’ll just refer you to the original meaning of the phrase. You can read the blog here or have a Mad Hatter’s Tea Party if you prefer.