ShopTalk: The recent quiz

[tflan]

The "simple" quiz that appeared here a couple of days ago included the question "Where are panama hats made?" The answer of course is that they're made in Ecuador.   Follow up question; if the hats are made in Ecuador, why are they called "panama hats?"   Answer below.   TFlan                                                           They're called "panama" hats because Teddy Roosevelt, while inspecting the Panama Canal, was photographed wearing a large "straw" hat. The press described the president as "wearing a Panama hat while observing the process of the construction of the Canal."