C


hester Greenwood had a terrible


problem. He lived in Maine, where winters are frosty. His ears were oſten cold. Other kids wrapped wool scarves around


their heads. Tis was out of the question for Greenwood. Wool made him itch. One bitter day in 1873, Greenwood went


ice-skating on a pond near his home. His ears started burning from the cold. Suddenly, he had a great idea. He ran home and twisted some wire into


two loops. He asked his grandmother to sew fur onto them. He ran back to the pond and put the earmuffs over his ears. Tey worked! Greenwood’s ears stayed


warm. Later, he added a spring that fit over his head and held the earmuffs in place. It was a simple invention, but one that had


everyone talking. Soon everyone wanted a pair of Greenwood’s “Champion Ear Protectors.”


Trying Something New Greenwood was only 15 years old when he made his first invention. Like many inventors, he had a problem to solve, and he solved it. To invent something is to create something new. It can be a thing, a way of doing something, or even an idea. Troughout history, people have made


inventions that changed the world. Some inventors got lucky and stumbled into a great discovery. Others tried and failed and tried again until they got their inventions right. Others improved something that already existed, creating something better. Behind every invention, there is a story.


Each invention has an inventor and a reason for why it was created. Let’s take a look at a few of these stories.


Simple and Complex Some inventions are very simple. Take the fishhook. It’s just a piece of curved wire with a sharpened end. Yet for thousands of years, people have used it to catch dinner. It’s been around so long, no one really remembers who invented it.


Te earliest hooks were made of shell. Over


time, fishermen made many different kinds of hooks. Some were carved from horns. Others were made from wood, thorns, and even the leg bones of dead fishermen. No matter what fishhooks are made from, the basic design is the same. Other inventions are more complex. Take


the traffic light, for example. Garrett Morgan invented it in 1923. Morgan was an inventor and a businessman. His most important invention to date had been a type of gas mask. Firefighters used it to protect their lungs. Everyone used Morgan’s next invention.


Traffic in the 1920s could be a nightmare. City roads were crowded and chaotic. People on foot shared roads with horse-drawn carts. Cars and bicycles clogged the roads, too. Morgan’s traffic light didn’t work like the


ones used today. It had arms that raised and lowered to show “Stop” and “Go” signs. His invention controlled traffic by giving everyone a turn. It let people on foot cross safely, too. Morgan’s invention saved lives.


Catching fish is easier with a fishhook.


12 NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC EXPLORER


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