Throughout the history of hearing aids, there has always been an essential factor, which is that the person with the hearing difficulty must be ready to cooperate with the doctors in order to find the better solution. In the distant past, many people did not want to be embarrassed carrying the huge devices around with them. Fortunately for these people, it is now much easier to enjoy a life with full hearing. Now, let's take a look at the history of these fantastic, life-enhancing devices.

Time Line

Before 1890s. Acoustic devices made of wood, metal or other such substances.
1890s - 1920s. Somewhat portable devices that lacked functionality.
1920s - 1950s. Somewhat portable devices that had improved due to vacuum tubes and transistor, making subsequent models highly useable and discrete.
1960s - 1980s. Further developments allow hearing aids to be fitted inside the ear.
1980s - 1990s. Computer technology introduces programmable hearing aids to the world. Excellent improvement.
1990s - 2000s. Models that fit completely inside the ear canal become common.
2000s - present. Behind the ear models have taken the vanguard in design.

Early Hearing Aids

Hearing aids from hundreds of years ago were large devices, commonly made of wood, animal horn, metal, or seashells. While these large ear trumpets were mildly effective in helping people hear better, they were also a mark, being physically obvious to all who saw. In order for the user to experience an increase in hearing, he would have to hold the long device to his ear in the direction of the sound he wanted to hear. Of course, smaller horns could be used, but the effect was the same.

The Microphone

Thus, hearing aids regrettably did not develop very quickly until the coming of electricity in the late 1800s. Used for the first time in hearing aids in 1892, these initial models were unable of helping much. Several years later, there was a new model of hearing aids developed. These devices sat on top of tables and amplified the sound using a mike made from carbon dust and a electric battery. They were an evolution of Alexander Graham Bell's work on the telephone. This was later supplanted by solid carbon microphones, but the price of these special models was out of reach for almost everyone. The old conventional hearing aid trumpets were still in popular demand, but the modern era of hearing aids was not too far away.

Vacuum Tubes and Transistors

During the 1920s and onward, hearing aids started using vacuum tube technology in order to immensely improve the portability of these devices. Output increased and so did competition among the different manufacturers. However, this particular model of hearing aid would not remain popular for very long. When the transistor was invented in the late 1940s, the size of the hearing aid, which has previously been carried around since it was so great in size, dramatically lessened. John Bardeen, William Shockley, and Walter Brattan improved this technology, and this model is the form on which all up-to-date hearing aids are established. The reduced size, inexpensive price, and long-term battery life helped many people hear better.
These new models were worn underneath clothing or inside a shirt pocket. The only visual portion of the hearing aid was the earpiece. When magnetic mikes were developed, hearing aids once again became much smaller. Some models were attached to eyeglasses, integrated into a much more general accessory.

Further Developments

In the 1960s, directional mikes were innovated, which caused an extremely high level of comprehension for the user. Even during these years, better circuit boards were being built that could distinguish speech from background noise, like a  a breeze blowing around the street corner. The technology increased further in the 1970s and 1980s, and hearing aids became more and more inexpensive. New battery technology and computer chips all aided the choice of these modern hearing aids.

Over the next decade, programmability became the forefront for development. Based on new digital technology, users could alter the specific attributes of a specific hearing aid for specific circumstances. If the person were at an intimate dinner with their partner, they could adjust the settings to be able to hear even quietly spoken words. The hearing aid could be programmed for louder situations too, like at a rugby match.

Contemporary Hearing Aids

As you can see, hearing aids altered drastically in the past 100 years. Modern hearing aids are full functionality and can distinguish between all kinds of sounds and noises. Design has been the biggest advancement, as hearing aids jumped forms. From surgically implanted aids to CIC (completely in canal) devices to behind the ear hearing aids, this excellent invention has become almost impossible to detect.

Modern times have truly offered an splendid selection for people who would like to fully enjoy the audile aspect of life.