The Rest of Chester's Story

Rhea asked if Chester Greenwood got a patent on those earmuffs, so I googled. This article from a site about inventors tells us about it, so I thought I'd pass it on. You know how it is - it's a teacher thing. We can't just know something but have to tell others about it. It's a blessing and a curse, depending on which end of it you're on.

So, Charlie, did you know that about Farmington's being the earmuff capital of the world? Have you been to the parade? Perhaps this could be a Dust Bunny field trip. Al, I'm sure this helps with your fitting into life in Maine. I'll stick with my Sonicare instead of that steel tooth rake. Yikes!

Chester Greenwood was born in Farmington, Maine in 1858. A grammar school dropout, he invented earmuffs at the age of 15 (1873). While testing a new pair of ice skates, he grew frustrated at trying to protect his ears from the bitter cold. After wrapping his head in a scarf, which was too bulky and itchy, he made two ear-shaped loops from wire and asked his grandmother to sew fur on them. He patented an improved model with a steel band which held them in place and with Greenwood's Champion Ear Protectors, he established Greenwood's Ear Protector Factory. He made a fortune supplying Ear Protectors to U.S. soldiers during World War I. He went on to patent more many other inventions. In 1977, Maine's legislature declared December 21 "Chester Greenwood Day" to honor a native son and his contribution to cold weather protection.

Farmington, Maine, is now the Earmuff Capital of the World. There is a parade that celebrates Chester's birthday the first Saturday in December, with local police cruisers in the parade decorated as giant earmuffs.


Another of Chester's inventions was the steel-tooth rake - U.S. patent #2066036, issued on December 29, 1936. Chester Greenwood accumulated over 100 patents in his lifetime.



By Mary Bellis