There are three kinds of people in the world: those who find history to be amazingly interesting, individuals who think history is horribly boring, and people who believe history is full of aliens.

Aliens aren’t responsible for the history of hearing aids. But it’s most likely a lot weirder than you might think. Hearing loss is, after all, a human challenge that has been around as long as we have. Because of this, people have been exploring clever ways to deal with hearing loss for centuries, if not longer.

Knowing the history of your hearing aids can give you a greater appreciation of how your own tiny, digital devices work, and why you should wear them more frequently.

Hearing loss has existed for thousands of years

Evidence of hearing loss dating back to the very beginning of human existence has been discovered by archaeologists. Fossil evidence shows indicators of ear pathologies. It’s pretty cool! Civilizations such as the Egyptians and even older groups were writing about hearing loss for as long as writing has existed.

Obviously, hearing loss isn’t new. And it wasn’t any better then than it is now (this is especially true because it was more challenging to manage then). Communication will be a lot harder if you have neglected hearing loss. Friends and loved ones may become more distant. When humans were a bit more primitive, neglected hearing loss could lead to a shorter lifespan as they may not have been capable of detecting danger.

So going back thousands of years, humans have had an incentive to learn how to treat hearing loss. And they didn’t completely fail at this.

A timeline of hearing aid-type devices

The first thing to recognize is that our history of hearing aids isn’t complete. Throughout time, some of the developments in hearing aid technology were simply not documented. It’s very likely that ancient humans did something to alleviate hearing loss, even if there’s no immediate evidence of what that was.

But here’s what we do know about the known hearing aid timeline:

• 1200s: Animal Horns: Hollowed out animal horns were used as some of the earliest proto-hearing aids. Evidence of this type of hearing device dates back to the 1200s, and it’s likely people used them to help minimize the effects of hearing loss. Sound would be more easily carried to the ear with the funnel shaped horn. There was no amplification involved, so these animal horns weren’t working on the same level as a modern hearing aid (obviously). But they most likely help focus the sound you want to hear and limit distracting outside sounds.
• 1600s: Ear Trumpet: The “cone shaped” hearing aid was the predominant configuration for centuries. These “ear trumpets” continued to be a favored way to manage hearing loss throughout the seventeenth century. These contraptions looked, well, like trumpets. You’d stick the narrow end in your ear. They came in a large number of shapes and materials. The early models were quite large and unwieldy. Eventually, creative individuals created smaller, more collapsible versions of these ear trumpets, so people could bring them on the go. Once again, these were never super efficient, because they couldn’t amplify sounds. But they could bring sound more directly to your ear.
• 1900s: Electronic Amplification: In the late 1800s, the carbon microphone was developed but wouldn’t be implemented into hearing aid technology until early the 1900s. Their ability to amplify should have made hearing aids reliable and practical, right? Not really. In the early 1900s, these devices were big, and not exactly wearable. The base principle was there, but the technology wasn’t fine-tuned enough to be truly useful.
• 1920s: Wearable Hearing Devices: Say hello to vacuum tubes! At one time, believe it or not, those vacuum tubes that energized those bulky television sets were state-of-the art technology. These vacuum tubes permitted (relatively) smaller, wearable hearing aids to be made, the size of a backpack. New technologies also permitted better amplification and somewhat clearer sound.
• 1940s: Pocket-Sized Hearing Aids: It’s a huge leap from a backpack sized hearing aid to a pocket or purse sized one. The same effect was now possible with less cumbersome technology thanks to the development of the transistor. Because of this progress, people could easily bring hearing aids with them wherever they went, it was a significant advantage!
• 1970s and 1980s: Hearing Aids Get Smaller: Hearing aids became smaller as technology advanced. Hearing aids got significantly smaller in the 1970s and 80s. Consequently, they became more popular and easier to use. Unfortunately, the actual amplification was still rather rudimentary. These hearing aids essentially just made everything louder. It was better than nothing, but still not quite what most individuals needed to successfully treat their hearing loss.
• 1982: Digital Hearing Aid: While not fully implemented and commercially available until 1996, 1982 was the year of the first digital hearing aid. Digital hearing aids were a game changer, they offered a better sound quality, more ways to customize amplification, and the ability to pack everything into a more discrete package. Treatment for hearing loss has become more successful since the evolution of digital hearing aid.
• 2000s (and Beyond): Hearing Aids Get Wireless and Smart: An increasing amount of sophisticated technology has been put into these digital hearing aids since they were invented. This started with Bluetooth wireless connectivity. And now, modern hearing aids will utilize machine learning algorithms to help you hear better than ever. Hearing aids are more convenient and more efficient as a result of this integration with other technologies.

History’s most advanced hearing aids

Mankind has been working on and bettering hearing loss for centuries, if not longer.
Modern hearing aids can accomplish that better than at any time in the history of humanity. And because they’re so effective, these little devices are also more prominent than ever before. A broad range of hearing issues can be addressed.

So if you want to get back to connecting with your kids or your family or the cashier at the supermarket, hearing aids can help you do it. (See? No aliens involved.)

Contact us and schedule an appointment to find out what hearing aids can do for you!

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References
https://hearinghealthfoundation.org/blogs/hearing-aid-history-ear-trumpets-european-royalty-earbuds

https://www.hear-it.org/lighter-smaller-and-better