Miller Reese Hutchison created the first electric hearing aid in 1898,2 as a direct result of Alexander Graham Bell's invention of the telephone in 1876. The telephone had technology to control the frequency, distortion, and loudness of sounds, which constitutes the key components of a hearing aid. The design employed an electric current, which helped the device to amplify any weak signals.
Fifteen years later, the first commercially manufactured hearing aid came onto the market from the Siemens company. The “Esha-Phonophor”, a device created by Louis Weber in 1911 as a gift for a friend, saw the design rise in popularity, and eventually led to the company Siemens, currently named Signia.