Hair power was once a dirty business.

How an 18th-century influencer ended Great Britain's political divide.

Back in 1795, British Prime Minister William Pitt instituted a powder tax in hopes of raising some dough for the Napoleonic Wars.

At the time, powdered hair was all the rage, worn primarily by the wealthy families of Great Britain to signal just how goddamn rich they really were.

Think of it like the 18th-century equivalent of a Rolex.