New York Times, March 22, 1910, long hat pins were being banned!
“It is now a misdemeanor for any woman to wear a long hatpin in public places in Chicago. Any woman caught wearing one is liable to arrest and a fine of $50… A crowd of women had gathered to protest against the measure on the ground that the city had no right to attempt to regulate women’s wearing apparel, and that long hatpins often at night formed women’s only weapon of defense. The ordinance decrees that “no person while in the public streets…shall wear any hatpin, the exposed point whereof shall protrude more than one-half inch beyond the crown of the hat…” The argument for the measure was that long hatpins worn in crowded places endangered the eyes, noses, and faces of people. When the vote was announced cries of ‘Shame! Shame!’ came from women in the galleries.”