The Earmuff Capital of the World

It's not surprising that someone living in a cold climate would invent earmuffs. But, what might be a shock to most is that the inventor was a 15-year old grammar school drop-out. Born in Farmington, Maine in 1858, a kid inventor named Chester Greenwood was frustrated at how cold his ears were when he was out ice skating. He tried his scarf as protection but that didn't work. It was too bulky. So he formed two loops of wire and his grandmother sewed fur on them. A steel band kept them in place and he was able to patent a perfected model in 1873. Young Chester Greenwood made himself a fortunte selling what he called Champion Ear Protectors. He even established his own factory. The world's first ear muffs were especially common among soldiers in WWI. But Greenwood wasn't done. He patented 100 more inventions in his life including the steel-tooth rake issued in December of 1936. The Smithsonian Institution named Greenwood one of America's most outstanding inventors naming a field of only 15. And that is how Farmington, Maine became the earmuff capital of the world. Chester's ingenuity is celebrated on his birthday every year with a parade of--what else?--giant earmuffs.