The market is flooded with ear-warming devices carrying names such as Ear Grips, EarPops and Ear Mitts. All share a common heritage -- the 19th-century contraption created by a young inventor from Maine with large, sensitive ears.
On Saturday, the town of Farmington honored the memory of native son Chester Greenwood with extra flourish during a parade in the year that marked the 130th anniversary of the earmuff patent, the 70th anniversary of Greenwood's death and the 30th anniversary of Chester Greenwood Day.
For 89-year-old Sully Greenwood, Chester's grandson, it's the one day of the year he wears old-fashioned earmuffs.
"Nobody wears them any other time," he said from his home in Farmington, in the west of the state of Maine -- which borders Canada on the northeast coast.
In 1873, 15-year-old Chester Greenwood grew frustrated by the choice of either wearing a bulky scarf or having cold ears while ice skating. He came up with the idea of ear-shaped loops made from wire, to which his grandmother sewed fur.
Greenwood later added an adjustable steel band. He patented his creation and manufactured thousands of "Champion Ear Protectors" in Farmington.
Today, many people prefer sleeker models known as 180s, which wrap around the back of the neck, addressing a big complaint about the early ear protectors: mussed hair. Others have built-in head phones for MP3 players.
But the old-school variety still exists. L.L. Bean, the Maine-based catalog store, sells Swix's Skier Earmuffs, which feature fleece and a metal band.
"They're going great guns," company spokeswoman Carolyn Beem said. "They were inspired by Nordic skiers and they do have a classic, timeless design inspired by none other than Chester."
Greenwood was known for his inventions. He had more than 100 of them, by some accounts. Maine's Web site credits him with creating a shock absorber, an improved spark plug, a doughnut hook and a folding bed, among other things.
But Nancy Porter, author of the self-published Chester: More Than Earmuffs, said she found patents for only five of his concoctions. Besides the ear protectors, Greenwood took out patents for a rake, an advertising matchbox, a tea kettle and an automatic boring machine, a device designed to drill holes in the ends of wooden spools, she said.
Greenwood also created and sold a local telephone company, built a plumbing and heating business, purchased land and built houses, owned a bicycle shop and ran an excursion boat with his brothers on Clearwater Lake, she said.
Greenwood, who died in 1937, was well known during his lifetime. Ensuring the survival of his memory, the Maine Legislature declared Chester Greenwood Day on the first day of winter in 1977.
A fire caused by a burst gas pipe yesterday spread to several homes and sent a fireball soaring into the sky outside Malaysia’s largest city, injuring more than 100 people. The towering inferno near a gas station in Putra Heights outside Kuala Lumpur was visible for kilometers and lasted for several hours. It happened during a public holiday as Muslims, who are the majority in Malaysia, celebrate the second day of Eid al-Fitr. National oil company Petronas said the fire started at one of its gas pipelines at 8:10am and the affected pipeline was later isolated. Disaster management officials said shutting the
DITCH TACTICS: Kenyan officers were on their way to rescue Haitian police stuck in a ditch suspected to have been deliberately dug by Haitian gang members A Kenyan policeman deployed in Haiti has gone missing after violent gangs attacked a group of officers on a rescue mission, a UN-backed multinational security mission said in a statement yesterday. The Kenyan officers on Tuesday were on their way to rescue Haitian police stuck in a ditch “suspected to have been deliberately dug by gangs,” the statement said, adding that “specialized teams have been deployed” to search for the missing officer. Local media outlets in Haiti reported that the officer had been killed and videos of a lifeless man clothed in Kenyan uniform were shared on social media. Gang violence has left
US Vice President J.D. Vance on Friday accused Denmark of not having done enough to protect Greenland, when he visited the strategically placed and resource-rich Danish territory coveted by US President Donald Trump. Vance made his comment during a trip to the Pituffik Space Base in northwestern Greenland, a visit viewed by Copenhagen and Nuuk as a provocation. “Our message to Denmark is very simple: You have not done a good job by the people of Greenland,” Vance told a news conference. “You have under-invested in the people of Greenland, and you have under-invested in the security architecture of this
Japan unveiled a plan on Thursday to evacuate around 120,000 residents and tourists from its southern islets near Taiwan within six days in the event of an “emergency”. The plan was put together as “the security situation surrounding our nation grows severe” and with an “emergency” in mind, the government’s crisis management office said. Exactly what that emergency might be was left unspecified in the plan but it envisages the evacuation of around 120,000 people in five Japanese islets close to Taiwan. China claims Taiwan as part of its territory and has stepped up military pressure in recent years, including