Cozy Accessory: How a Farmer Invented Fur Ear Muffs 0 8

On a particularly frosty winter day in 1873, 15-year-old Chester decided to "test out" his new skates on a frozen pond nearby. However, he could not enjoy skating for long, as soon his ears began to freeze terribly. Many of his friends protected their ears from the cold wind by wrapping their heads in scarves, but Chester could not stand the "itchy" wool and was forced to return home.

On the way, he came up with a solution to his problem. Taking soft wire from the shed, Chester bent it into a small arc with circles at the ends and asked his grandmother to help cover the circles to create soft cups, insulated with beaver fur on the outside and lined with velvet on the inside. He named his invention the Greenwood Champion Ear Protector, and the very next day he appeared on the ice of the pond wearing it. The homemade fur ear muffs made a huge impression on his friends, and almost all the children began asking their parents for the same.

Despite the instant success, the young inventor was not satisfied. The wire turned out to be too soft, and the ear muffs either flapped against his ears or stuck out, exposing his ears to the cold wind. The idea clearly needed refinement. Chester began creating a second version of his invention, replacing the wire with a 2 cm wide steel spring band, to which the ear cups were attached on small hinges. Now they pressed snugly but gently against his head, reliably protecting his ears. Additionally, thanks to the spring properties, the ear muffs could be folded into a compact flat structure and then unfolded without losing their shape.

On March 13, 1877, Chester Greenwood received U.S. patent number 188292 for his invention. Soon he established a factory in Farmington to produce ear muffs, with an annual output of 30,000 units by 1883. By 1937, when Chester Greenwood passed away at the age of 79, surrounded by children and grandchildren, his factory was producing over 400,000 ear muffs a year. By that time, he had 130 serious inventions patented (one of the most famous being the whistling kettle), but the ear muffs always remained his favorite creation.

The Greenwood ear muff factory did not survive to this day, but in 1977, Maine legislators made the first Saturday of December an official holiday in honor of the famous local figure, Chester Greenwood Day. On this day, a parade and public festivities take place in Farmington, where fewer than 8,000 people live, featuring participants, including dogs and horses, showcasing Greenwood's invention — the protective fur ear muffs.