by Neil Bauman, Ph.D. © June, 2017 “As a young salesman, Eugene F. McDonald Jr. hurt his head in an auto accident and became deaf in one ear. When he became the hard-driving boss of Chicago’s Zenith Radio Corporation, one of the biggest US radio-makers of the day, McDonald was shocked at the […]
The Mystery of Miller Reese Hutchison’s Coronation Medal
Neil Bauman, Ph.D. A lady asked, I was researching an item that I found (shown at the right) during an estate sale that has significant historical value. I was wondering if you could provide some feedback on this unique item. The item in question was part of a framed set of Acousticon awards. We […]
CROS Hearing Aids Existed Before CROS Hearing Aids Were Even Invented!
by Neil Bauman, Ph.D. November 8, 2016 The concept of a CROS (Contralateral Routing Of Sound [or Signal]) hearing aid is simple. Route the sound from the “deaf” (worse hearing) ear to the “good” (better hearing) ear. The result is that people who are deaf or hard of hearing in one ear can now […]
When Was the First Electric Hearing Aid Made and Other Hearing Aid Firsts
by Neil Bauman, Ph.D. Quick. In what year was the first electric hearing aid was made? Take a guess. Bet you’ll be surprised how far off your guess was. Non-electric hearing aids such as primitive hearing horns have been around for many hundreds of years. In contrast, electric (and electronic) hearing aids are of relatively […]
The Hearing Aids of Yesteryear
by Neil Bauman, Ph.D. As some of you know, I am the owner/curator of “The Hearing Aid Museum”, the largest on-line hearing aid museum in the world. As a result, I’m often asked to identify and/or appraise old hearing aids, and to contribute pictures and information on hearing aids for various publications. Recently, I was […]
Invisible vs. Visible (Humongous) Hearing Aids
by Neil Bauman, Ph.D. A lady wrote, I think part of the problem is that with invisible hearing aids, our hearing losses are an invisible problem. I think if we had hearing aids as big as wheelchairs it would make people more attuned to the fact that we’re struggling to hear. You are right of […]
Time Traveler Using Cell Phone, or Old Hearing Aid?
by Neil Bauman, Ph.D. I’ve had a number of people ask me concerning a portion of an “outtake” of a 1928 Charlie Chaplin movie—wondering whether what was being shown was a time traveler using a modern cell phone back in 1928, or whether it was, more realistically, a person using an old hearing aid. For […]
Hearing Aids Down Through the Years—The New On-line Hearing Aid Museum
by Neil Bauman, Ph.D. Are you intrigued by old hearing aids and hearing devices? Have you ever seen a “pen” hearing aid that you wore in your shirt pocket? Or a barrette hearing aid you wore in your hair? Aren’t you glad you don’t have to lug around a heavy table top hearing aid that […]
