Cody and Claudia take on the Middle East this week. They dive into the founding of Turkey and how their first president, Mustafa Kemal, tried the novel idea of building democracy through authoritarianism. The Turkish Hat Law of 1925 merits an in depth look, and that's exactly what we're doing on this episode! Oh and there's a Noam Chomsky cameo. No big deal.

Special thanks to Camilla Nereid, author of the essay "Kemalism on the Catwalk: The Turkish Hat Law of 1925," for generously responding to emails.

This week Cody and Claudia dive in to the rabbit hole of hat laws. From Kansas to Congress and across the pond in England, humanity has been historically keen on keeping a lid on people's lids. But, here at Death, Taxes, and Hats, we want to give everyone we chirp at a chance to respond. Who was willing to answer us? Did any city or state own up to their ridiculous hat laws? 

Do you know of a weird hat law that we haven't covered? Hit us up at [email protected]. We are happy to go exploring!

We deviate just a smidgen this go around. Cody and Claudia sit down to discuss plague doctors, their outfits (which include awesome hats!) and how the Bubonic Plague squares up to the current climate. Cody gets confused about comparing "better" and "worse," and he has like two puns written down just waiting to fire off.

Right before the world went and got itself all apocalyptic, Cody sat down with returning guest and good friend Keith McKay to discuss America's most prominent fashion contribution: the baseball cap. We'll talk about the Great Bambino, Hat World, and did you know that Lids went bankrupt? Also, any idea what the world record for largest ball cap collection is? Welp, we know.

A ton of factoids for this episode were gleaned from a book called "Ball Cap Nation," by James Lilliefors. If you like what you hear, check out the book! It's a comprehensive look at a topic right in our wheelhouse!

Things quickly go off the rails when Cody and Claudia sit down to try and discover the true origin of the beer helmet. Could this be an undiscovered conspiracy? Or is there some secret shame the inventor holds deep inside of them? Is Jerry Colombo involved? (He isn't.) Help us track down the folks involved in this uniquely human invention so often seen at stadiums. Also, Cody introduces a new name for fans of the podcast...

Have a tip or a lead for us?

[email protected]

Want to see the patent information Cody references, complete with images?

https://patents.google.com/patent/US4739905A/en

Cody and actor Hannah Finger trace the origin of the party hat back to the Middle Ages. Then God gets involved, and we determine what sin is and how a priest wrote a scientific proof for the Immaculate Conception. It all adds up, we promise...mostly.

Check out the Creative Artists Workshop:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/630698091079092/about/

Cody gets an education when he and Facts of Facts host Dominik Rothbard chat about the 1980s. We talk pseudoscience, Pete Burns vs. Boy George, and one band that is the polar opposite of the point of this podcast!

Check out Dominik's podcast, The Facts of Facts: 

https://www.facebook.com/pages/category/Podcast/The-Facts-of-Facts-Podcast-355007775302602/

Cody and guest Peter Lodola dive top hat first into Sid and Marty Krofft's Lidsville. We talk about Eddie Munster getting lost in a hat world, Bud Frump being an evil magician, and a climactic battle sequence sure to leave everyone wondering what exactly it all was for. Part one of a recurring Lidsville series.

P.S. Forgive the odd audio bleeds in spots. Cody sometimes doesn't know how to record things properly, as you'll hear. We're aware of it and are working to resolve the issue in upcoming episodes!

Cody sits down with Spencer Belden to uncover the details behind one of the most often-used misnomers. We talk unions, exploitation, CIA, and the art of crafting the Panama hat.

Further exploration:

"The Panama Hat Trail" by Tom Miller

"Inside the Company: CIA Diary" by Philip Agee

"The Panama Hat" directed by Gernot Stadler

Listen in on Cody and his friend Keith McKay discuss the straw hat smashing, the dangers of groupthink, and the consequences of tradition taken to the extreme.