Famous ears: famous people afflicted with a hearing disorder.

FACT - FAMOUS EARS

Ronald Reagan

Did you know that when Ronald Reagan got his hearing aids, the resulting publicity dramatically increased the demand on the hearing healthcare industry? Almost overnight the processing time for hearing aid fittings went from days to weeks.  In contrast, when President Bill Clinton got his hearing aids the industry was hardly affected at all.  Chalk it up to another thing that makes you go hmmm...

QUOTE - FAMOUS EARS

Lou Ferrigno

"If I hadn't lost my hearing, I wouldn't be where I am now," he said in a recent release. "It forced me to maximize my own potential. I have to be better than the average person to succeed."

Lou Ferrigno is the "Hulk" actor from the "Incredible Hulk" television show. At a young age he suffered an 85 percent loss of hearing due to an ear infection. Ferrigno has starred in over 15 movies and played professional football for the Toronto Argonauts. He has also won several bodybuilding titles, including Mr. America and Mr. International. At age 21, Ferrigno was the youngest athlete to ever win the Mr. Universe title, a record that has yet to be broken.

FEATURE - FAMOUS EARS

Ludwig van Beethoven

Beethoven was born in Bonn, Germany in December 1770 and died at the age of 57 in 1827. Despite the onset of deafness at the age of 28, he continued to compose some of the greatest works in classical music that the world has ever known.

"Beginning in 1798 he experienced a continual humming and whistling in his ears that gradually grew stronger, eventually prompting the agonizing realization that he was going deaf.  In 1802, in a state of desperation in which he contemplated suicide, Beethoven retired to the secluded village of Heiligenstadt and addressed to his brothers, a statement expressing his anguish (see below). The Heiligenstadt Testament as it is known marks a new period in Beethoven's output; the next ten years saw one of the most prodigious outpourings of masterpieces in the history of music.  By 1812 he had completed Symphony 2,3 Eroica, 4, 5, 6 Pastoral, 7 and 8, Piano Concerto no. 4 and no. 5, Emperor, The Violin Concerto, His Opera, Fidellio, The Three Rasumovski String Quartets, and a wealth of piano sonatas and other works."  None of which he ever heard with his own ears.

Historical Hearing Related Document (Heiligenstadt Testament) - The actual letter (translated into English and also the original German text) that Ludwig van Beethoven sent his brothers Carl and [Johann] Beethoven, expressing his feelings about his experiences with his hearing loss.  To read this incredible piece of history click here.

If you would like to listen to some Real Audio sound fragments of Beethoven's Symphonies and Beethoven's Piano Sonatas or MIDI Music fragments of Beethoven's Symphonies or see the Multimedia Beethoven Online Encyclopedia complete explanation of Ludwig van Beethoven's greatest works - his nine symphonies. Please use the link below

http://www.geocities.com/Vienna/1636/audio.html