When it comes to history, there are three distinct types of people: those who find history to be amazingly interesting, people who think history is terribly boring, and people who think history is full of aliens.

The history of hearing aids is not full of aliens (sorry not sorry). But the true story is probably pretty strange as well. After all, hearing loss isn’t exactly a new thing; it’s been around as long as we have. People have, consequently, been trying to discover new effective ways to cope with hearing loss since the dawn of our existence.

An appreciation for your amazing little digital devices, their features, and why it’s important to use them, can be gained by discovering some history about them.

For thousands of years, people have been dealing with hearing loss

Archaeologists have found evidence of hearing loss that dates back to the beginning of humanity. They can detect signs of ear pathologies in fossil evidence. It’s pretty cool! Mentions of hearing loss also begin appearing as soon as written language becomes a thing (for example, there are many Egyptian sources that discuss hearing loss symptoms).

So, clearly, hearing loss is nothing new. And it’s likely always kind of awful (especially when left untreated). When you have untreated hearing loss, you will find it harder to communicate. You might lose touch with friends and loved ones. When humans were a bit more primitive, untreated hearing loss could result in a shorter lifespan as they may not have been capable of detecting danger.

So for thousands of years, humans have had an incentive to learn how to treat hearing loss. And they’ve even managed some terrific successes!

A timeline of hearing aid-type devices

The first thing to appreciate is that our history of hearing aids is not complete. Throughout time, some of the developments in hearing aid technology were simply not recorded. Even if we don’t have a written record of exactly what ancient people did to relieve hearing loss, it’s very likely that they took measures in that direction.

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 first proto-hearing aids. Evidence of this kind of hearing device dates back to the 1200s, and it’s likely people used them to help lessen the effects of hearing loss. Sound would be more easily moved to the ear with the funnel shaped horn. There was no amplification used, 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 control distracting outside sounds.
• 1600s: Ear Trumpet: For centuries, the “cone shaped” hearing apparatus was the prominent format. And that persisted into the seventeenth century, when “ear trumpets” became a desirable means of managing hearing loss. They were called “ear trumpets” because, well, that’s what they looked like. The narrow end would go in your ear. They came in a large number of shapes and materials. The early models were quite large and unwieldy. Eventually, clever individuals created smaller, more collapsible versions of these ear trumpets, so people could take them on the go. Once again, these were never very effective, because they couldn’t amplify sounds. But they could carry sound more directly to your ear.
• 1900s: Electronic Amplification: Okay, here we go: the invention of the carbon microphone (okay, the carbon microphone was actually invented in the late 1800s, but it wasn’t really implemented for hearing aids until later). Their ability to amplify should have made hearing aids reliable and practical, right? Not really. In the early 1900s these devices were too big to be realistic or wearable. The technology would need quite a bit of refinement before it would be very useful.
• 1920s: Wearable Hearing Devices: Hello, vacuum tubes! At one time, believe it or not, those vacuum tubes that energized those bulky television sets were cutting edge technology. These vacuum tubes permitted (relatively) smaller, wearable hearing aids to be manufactured, the size of a backpack. Slightly clearer sound and better amplification were also possible.
• 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 impact was now possible with less cumbersome technology as a result of the invention of the transistor. As a result of this progress, people could easily bring hearing aids with them wherever they went, it was a huge advantage!
• 1970s and 1980s: Hearing Aids Get Smaller: Hearing aids became smaller as technology advanced. The 1970s and 80s, particularly, saw a significant reduction in the size of hearing aids. Consequently, they became more popular and easier to use. The amplification, sadly, was still very basic. They just increased the volume of all of the sound they picked up. It was better than nothing, but still not quite what most people needed to successfully treat their hearing loss.
• 1982: Digital Hearing Aid: While not fully implemented and commercially introduced until 1996, 1982 was the year of the first digital hearing aid. Digital hearing aids were a game changer, they provided a better sound quality, more ways to personalize amplification, and the ability to pack everything into a more discrete package. With the advent of digital hearing aids, treatment for hearing loss became much more robust and successful.
• 2000s (and Beyond): Hearing Aids Get Wireless and Smart: Since the launching of the digital hearing aid, manufacturers have been able to stack more and more technology into these tiny devices. This started out with Bluetooth wireless connectivity. And currently, modern hearing aids will use machine learning algorithms to help you hear better than ever. This integration with other technologies makes hearing aids more efficient, and more convenient!

The most sophisticated hearing aids in history

For hundreds of years or longer, we have been working on relieving hearing loss.
Modern hearing aids can achieve that better than at any point in the history of humanity. These little pieces of technology are more prevalent than they ever have been because they’re so effective. A wide variety of hearing issues can be addressed.

So hearing aids can help you if you want to create a stronger connection with your friends, family, or the clerk at your local pharmacy. (See? No aliens involved.)

Give us a call and make an appointment to discover what hearing aids can do for you!

Call Today to Set Up an Appointment

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

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