Of the options listed, which name is fondly used today for a U.S. Navy uniform-issued sailor’s hat?

It is unclear when the term “Dixie cup” was coined, but since the popular paper cup product made its public debut in the early 1900s, it’s likely that’s when the term was adopted in reference to the United States Navy’s (USN) uniform-issued sailor’s hat. The Navy’s famous “Dixie cup” is one of the most iconic symbols worn in the U.S. Navy today. Other names include “squid lid”, “Cracker Jack hat” or just plain “Cover”.

According to U.S. Naval Historian John Reilly, “The “Dixie cup”-style has peaked and reappeared in the Navy as part of the uniform since it was first written into the uniform regulations of 1886.” That year, it replaced the straw hat previously worn during warm weather months. The Navy needed a practical summer hat that was easy to clean and store, cheap to manufacture, and confortable to wear”.

Current Navy inform regulations say the hat must be worn “with the lower front edge approximately one-half inch above the eyebrows and not crushed or bent in the middle.”

For the general public, the hat can be squared, rolled, crushed, fitted with “gull wings’ or simply worn as it comes from stores. It can be used as a flotation device or a sun shield or even some claim as a dog food dish,

Historically, this contemporary headgear was preceded (according the the “Blue Jacket Manual), with so-called “flat hats”that were first authorized in 1852 and became standard issue for sailors throughout the American Civil War until 1886.