It can get pretty chilly in Maine, so it’s no wonder that they have a day honoring Chester Greenwood, who invented earmuffs in 1873 when he was just 15. Greenwood loved to ice skate on frozen ponds during the cold Maine winters, but a wool allergy kept him from donning the warm hats with earflaps that his friends wore. Tired of having to call it quits due to his cold ears, Greenwood asked his grandmother to sew flaps of flannel or beaver fur onto some wires that he could bend around his head. Ten years later, Greenwood was the owner of an earmuff factory that produced 50,000 of them every year.
By the way, should you want to celebrate Greenwood and his cozy contribution to society, Chester Greenwood Day is the first Saturday in December.
