Chester Greenwood (December 4, 1858 â July 5, 1937), of Farmington, Maine, invented the earmuff in 1873, at the age of 15. He reportedly came up with the idea while ice skating and he asked his grandmother to sew tufts of fur between loops of wire. His patent was for improved ear protectors. He manufactured these ear protectors, providing jobs for people in the Farmington area for nearly 60 years. Greenwood also patented a tea kettle, a variation of the steel-toothed rake, an advertising matchbox, and a machine used to produce wooden spools for wire and thread. He invented, but did not patent, an umbrella holder for mail carriers. The total number of patents Greenwood held seems to be contested: Some claim only a handful, while others claim over 100. The memory of the latter helps boost Greenwood’s historical legacy.
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