It was on this date (Dec. 7, 2012) that Dr. William F. House died in Oregon at the age of 89. image from House Ear Institute Dr. House is credited with installing the first cochlear implant in 1961. He was told by experts the electric current he was using would destroy the ear, but that didn't stop him. He believed in what implants could do to change someone's life. Here's a little about him: Known as the "father of neurotology." He received his do

It was on this day (Dec. 6) in 1976 that professional stuntwoman Kitty O'Neil set a record for land speed by a female driver. It was in Oregon's Alvord Desert that Kitty hit 512 miles per hour. Her women's absolute land speed record stood until 2019. The previous record had been 321 mph. Childhood diseases left her deaf and nearly killed her. She became a champion diver at a young age. As a teenager, she planned to take part in the 1964 Olympics but an injury and illness cut

In the 1600s, the court of the Ottoman Empire employed some 40 deaf servants. Sultan Selim III in front of the Gate of Felicity (1789) via Wikimedia Commons They were chosen not in spite of their deafness, but because of it. The deaf servants were favored companions of the sultan, and their facility in nonverbal communication made them indispensable to the court, where decorum restricted speech in the sultan’s presence. Read the fascinating story of the deaf servants here . .