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In 1833 William Beecher, a Connecticut farm boy, moved to Southbridge, MA after completing an jewelers apprenticeship program in Providence, RI.
He then opened the Beecher Jewelry Shop to start a jewelry and watch business on Main Street in Southbridge.
Over the next 20 years the little workshop became a thriving business.
Prior to this time spectacles, including optical frames and lenses, were imported from Europe, mainly England, France and Germany.
He noticed that the foreign spectacles were of very poor quality and was convinced that New England workmen were capable of making spectacles that could compete with these foreign imports.
By 1843 Beecher and created the first steel frame eyeglasses in America, and these steel framed spectacles outranked all other spectacles in demand. As the business grew he developed an inexpensive way to produce the steel frames right there in Southbridge, MA.
As so often happens with small businesses it changed hands a number of times and when Beecher retired in 1862 the firm became the Robert H. Cole and Company.
In 1852 Hiram C. Wells had joined the firm followed by his son George W. Wells in 1864. George Wells began his career with the company as a young man of 18.
The company quickly recognized that he was a genius in mechanics and he quickly gained the respect of management because there was no manufacturing problem he couldn't solve.
In 1869 the company was incorporated as the American Optical Company with 400 shares of stock and capitalized for $ 40,000.
R. H. Cole offers 22 year old George Wells a partnership in the company with 40 shares of the company.
Over time he became first the treasurer of the company and then the President of the company in 1891.
Under the Wells family, the American Optical Company ("AO") became the world's largest manufacturer of ophthalmic products, and at its height employed more than 6,000 people around the world.
Many of its workers were exempted from the draft during World War II since they were doing vital defense work, including making Norden bombsights and even some work on the atomic bomb.
The American Optical Company was a major employer in Southbridge from the late 19th century well into the 20th century.
Its owners, members of the Wells family, had a history of building housing units (which they retained personal ownership of) to rent to workers in their factories.
Todd-AO is a post-production company founded in 1953, providing sound-related services to the motion picture and television industries.
The company operates three facilities in the Los Angeles area. Todd-AO is also the name of the widescreen, 70mm film format that was developed by Mike Todd and the American Optical Company in the mid-1950's.
Todd-AO was originally founded to promote and distribute this system.
The H. C. Wells Double House is a historic house at 28-30 Dresser Street in Southbridge, Massachusetts.
The 2.5 story wood frame duplex was built in the late 1880s or early 1890s by Hiram C. Wells, member of the Wells family which owned the locally important American Optical Company.
It was one of several duplexes Wells built in the area as an income property.
Although not as ornate as some Queen Anne houses, it features high quality construction methods despite a relatively simple symmetrical plan.
It features a granite foundation, diamond transom windows, and stained glass windows.
American Optical Original Pilot Sunglasses That Flew to the Moon[/caption]
In 1958 American Optical introduced the Flight Goggle 58, now known as the Original Pilot Sunglasses, and were produced for U.S. military pilots to provide them with maximum eye protection, optical performance and comfort. Right to the present time these Original Pilot sunglasses are made in the American Optical (now known as AO Eyewear) complex in Southbridge, MA.
Among the many accomplishments of these Original Pilot sunglasses is that they were honored to be the first ever sunglasses to land on the moon. They were worn by Commander Neil Armstrong and the crew of Apollo 11 in 1969. They now reside on permanent display in the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C.
American Optical Goes To The Moon
Neil Armstrong On The Moon Doing Maintenance To The Lunar Lander wearing his AO Eyewear Original Pilot sunglasses.
NOTE: Because AO has been sold to another manufacturer, the following information regarding the AO Eyewear warranty and the AO Eyewear Return for Repair policies will pobably change sometime during the first quarter of 2020.
For the time being the only way to get help from AO Eyewear is to contact their Customer Service Department by phone 1 (800) 777-1173 or send an email to: orders@aoeyewear.com."
Here is where you can find a great selection of AO Eyewear Sunglasses: AO Eyewear
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