(soft rock music)
(repeated ticking)
(clicking)
(dinging)
- [Narrator] Behold, earmuffs.
But where did they come from?
Meet Chester Greenwood,
born in Farmington, Maine in 1858.
Growing up in Maine,
15 year old Chester was
accustomed to freezing winters.
But he also had large ears that
didn't handle the cold well,
especially when he was ice skating.
(grunting)
Sensitive to wool,
he didn't want to wrap his head in a scarf
like everyone else.
So, he decided a little
innovation was in order.
At home, Chester molded
wire into ear-shaped loops
and convinced his
grandmother to sew over them
soft muffs made of beaver fur and velvet.
He then affixed a wire
loop to the ear protectors
and headed back out into the cold.
The ear muffs were a great improvement,
but they still flapped around a lot.
Chester took a second stab at it,
substituting a flexible
steel band for the wire.
Soon, other kids and adults were clamoring
for a pair of their own.
In 1877, at the tender age of 18,
Chester required a
patent for the ear muffs
which he dubbed,
Greenwood Champion Ear Protectors.
He started producing them locally
and over the years they
grew in popularity.
(conveyor belt looping)
In 1936, his factory hit peak production,
producing 400,000 ear muffs.
When he died in 1937, he had
attained celebrity status
in his home state.
In 1977, the governor of Maine
declared the first Saturday
of every December,
Chester Greenwood Day.
(crowd cheering)
(soft rock music)
(soft ping)
