The Anti Gravity Suit

Did you know Canada.. in 1941, Dr. Wilbur Franks, of Weston, Ontario, invented the G-Suit, which allowed fighter pilots to carry out high-speed maneuvres without blacking out. Used by Allied pilots from 1942 onwards, it led to the development of modern day astronauts' suits.

(Image source: University of Toronto Archives/a1978-0041/007(35))

This picture from 1962 shows Wilbur Rounding Franks, a professor in U of T’s Banting and Best Department of Medical Research, posing with the Franks Flying Suit.

It is still the foundational design for contemporary fighter-pilot and astronaut pressure suits.

Baseball Glove

Did you know Canada.. we'll be heading to T-Ball sign-up with my boys this week and that has got me thinking about baseball.

Many feel baseball is a true American sport, so it might surprise you to know that the Baseball glove was said to be invented in Canada in 1883!!

Art "Foxy" Irwin is said to invent the baseball glove, though some contend he just made it popular and we may never know the whole truth. We do know that in 1883 Art broke 2 of his fingers on his left hand from a hard hit ball which caused him to purchase a large buckskin glove and fill it with foam so he could continue to play.

This was supposedly known as the Irwin Glove and picked up by many other players.

Others say players had been experimenting with similar glove designs in years prior to 1883 so we will never know for sure, but we can be proud of Toronto born Irwin none the less!

Snowmobile in Ontario

Did you know Canada.. Armand Bombardier, of Valcourt, Quebec, developed this unique snow machine in 1926. His vehicles were used wherever heavy loads were carried over difficult terrain. In the 1950s, he pioneered the development of small, light snow vehicles for winter sports.

In this day and age snowmobiles are often used for sport and weekend activities.

Check out sites like Ontario Trails to find available trails. Over 43,000 km available in Ontario alone!

In Ontario you must have a valid driver's licence to use a snowmobile. For those without or 12+ there is a driver training course you can take to gain a valid snowmobile licence, for more information visit the OFSC site.

Now all we need is some snow eh?!

Paint Roller

Did you know Canada.. Norman Breakley, of Toronto, revolutionized the paint and decorating industry in 1940 with the invention of the paint roller. Which of course helped introduce the era of do-it-yourself home decorating.

Unfortunately for Norman, he was able to produce his invention in large enough volume to profit from it before others made small changes to the paint roller's design and were then able to sell it as their own invention.

But, we are very proud of Canadian Norman Breakley, all of our backs and arms thank him as well I think! ;-)

Dr. Norman Bethune

Did you know Canada.. Dr. Norman Bethune, born in Gravenhurst, Ontario on March 3, 1890, was a Canadian physician and medical innovator.

He developed the first mobile blood-transfusion service in 1936! During the Spanish Civil War a frequent cause of death on the battlefield is medical shock brought on by loss of blood. Unfortunately a casualty whose wounds do not appear life-threatening suddenly dies - a terrible loss.

It was during this time that Bethune conceived the idea of administering blood transfusions on the spot - he organized a service to collect blood from donors and deliver it to the battlefront, thereby saving countless lives. While also developing the world's first mobile medical unit - containing dressings for 500 wounds, and enough supplies and medicine for 100 operations.

He's also known for setting up a free medical clinic for the poor in Montreal.

A true Canadian to be proud of!!

Canadian Invention: Pacemaker

Did you know Canada.. it was Canadian, John Hopps invented the first cardiac pacemaker!

John Alexander Hopps is also known as the "father of biomedical engineering in Canada".

It was in 1951 that Hopps, along with Dr. Wilfred Bigelow and Dr. John Callaghan at the Banting Institute in the University of Toronto, developing the world's first external artificial pacemaker. The first internal pacemaker was implanted in a human body by a Swedish team in 1958.

It was a somewhat crude and painful device for the patient having to use it and, being powered from an AC wall socket it was not safe or convenient. It did pave the way to the pacemakers we have today though and so a Canadian Invention to be proud of!

Canadian Invention: Oilevator/Slicklicker

Did you know Canada.. the Oilevator (also known as a Slicklicker) is a Canadian invention.

What is it you ask? The Oilevator is a late 1960s invention from Canadian Engineer Richard Sewell a chemist with the Department of National Defence in Ottawa. Using only an inflatable plastic boom, canvas conveyor belt lined with terry cloth to absorb oil and a small motor the Oilevator could lift up to 43,000 gallons of spilled oil a day! In tests is was 95% effective in removing all the oil from a spill.

Selling for around $7,500 this was a cheap and simple solution to a large and costly problem.

Im my research I found an article from Kinship Circle - discussing notes from the Gulf Oil Disaster of 2010. It says in part.. Upon leaving, we bump into Oky Flemming (another name connected with the Oilevator), inventor of the “Oilevator” device that extracts oil below surface levels. He assures us his device is marine-life safe. BP has yet to connect with him, even though below-surface oil removal has no set regimen. Surprising to read that this great invention was not involved in the MANY attempts at cleaning up that spill.

Exciting information on another great Canadian invention!

Canadarm

Did you know Canada.. we've probably all heard about it and seen pictures of it, but what exactly is it?

The Canadarm is a Shuttle Remote Manipulator System (SRMS). In other words, it is a mechanical arm used on the Space Shuttle to maneuver a payload from the payload bay of the orbiter to its deployment position and then release it.

It can also grapple a free-flying payload, maneuver it to the payload bay of the orbiter and berth it in the orbiter.

It was first used on the second Space Shuttle mission STS-2, launched November 13, 1981.

It was SPAR Aerospace Ltd., a Canadian company, that designed, developed, tested and built the Canadarm.

The Canadarm2 is installed on the International Space Station and has worked in tandem with the Canadarm, developing a "Canadian Handshake".

Doctor James Guillet

Did you know Canada.. Doctor James Guillet was a chemist at University of Toronto.

In 1971 he invented a plastic that decomposed in a reasonable time when left in direct sunlight. James Guillet then patented his invention, which turned out to be the millionth Canadian patent to be issued!

In the 1970s and the 1980s his lab was regarded as the best in the world in photophysics and photochemistry.

From the University of Toronto Archives: Professor Guillet received numerous honours for his work, beginning in 1967 with a fellowship in the Chemical Institute of Canada. In 1977 he was awarded the Gold Medal and Canada’s patent number 1,000,000 for the invention of degradable plastic. In 1981 he was elected a fellow of the Royal Society of Canada and received a Guggenheim Fellowship, which was followed by a Killam Fellowship in 1987. He received an honorary doctorate from Cambridge University in 1974 and the Chemical Institute of Canada awarded him its Montreal Medal in 1998. In 1999 the Society of Polymer Science of Japan presented him with its International Award.

Canadian Invention: IMAX

Did you know Canada.. we invented something very exciting - IMAX!!

Canadians Graeme Ferguson, Roman Kroitor, Robert Kerr, and William C. Shaw developed the IMAX system in 1968.

IMAX is a motion picture film format and a set of proprietary cinema projection standards, IMAX increases the resolution of the image by using a much larger film frame. IMAX theatre construction also differs significantly from conventional theatres. The increased resolution allows the audience to be much closer to the screen.

‘Avatar: An IMAX 3D Experience’ is the all-time highest grossing IMAX release; the worldwide IMAX box office total for the film climbed to more than $220 million since the movie's launch in December 2009.

Very exciting and a great Canadian invention to be proud of!

Trivial Pursuit

Did you know Canada.. Trivial Pursuit, as we all probably know, is a board game in which progress is determined by a player's ability to answer general knowledge and popular culture questions. It's also the board game Time magazine called the "the biggest phenomenon in game history".

But did you know it's also a Canadian Invention?

The game was created in 1979 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, by Canadian Chris Haney (a photo editor for Montreal's The Gazette) and Scott Abbott (a sports editor for The Canadian Press). After finding pieces of their Scrabble game missing, they decided to create their own game. With help from Ed Werner (corporate lawyer) and John Haney (Chris' brother), they completed development of the game, which was released in 1982.

In December 1993, Trivial Pursuit was named to the "Games Hall of Fame" by Games magazine.

Maybe we should go pick up the Trivial Pursuit Canadian edition!!!

The green garbage bag

Did you know Canada.. it was Harry Wasylyk (from Winnipeg, Manitoba) & Larry Hansen (from Lindsay, Ontario) who invented green garbage bags!

It was after the Second World War when Harry began experimenting with a then new material, polyethylene (invented in 1942). He first supplied them to Winnipeg General Hospital to line their garbage bins.

Larry Hansen worked for the Union Carbide Company in Lindsay, Ontario, who bought the invention. Union Carbide then manufactured the first green garbage bags under the name Glad Garbage bags for home use in the late 1960s.

Source: Library and Archives Canada

Canadian Invention: Caesar (Cocktail)

Did you know Canada.. It was Calgary bartender Walter Chell, that created the Casear cocktail in 1969.

He experimented for three months, eventually settling on a mixture of hand-mashed clams, tomato juice, vodka, Worcestershire sauce, salt, and pepper. Tossing in a celery stick for a garnish, Chell called the drink a Bloody Caesar. Chell said his inspiration came from Italy.

It quickly became a popular mixed drink, but remains virtually unknown outside Canada. Surprisingly the Mott's company was independently developing Clamato (a mixture of clam and tomato juices) at the same time the Caesar was invented. Eventually they hired Chell to consult and promote the product and now Motts claims that the Caesar is the most popular mixed drink in Canada, estimating that over 350 million Caesars are consumed every year.

Whether using is as the so called hangover cure or just enjoying a drink I'm sure we've all enjoyed a Casesar or two.

Why not mix some up for Canada Day weekend to celebrate a Canadian made drink!!

Source: Wikipedia, famouscanadians.net, clamato.com

Canadian Invention: Pablum

Did you know Canada.. It was three Canadian doctors who developed Pablum.

Pablum is a soft, bland cereal for infants created in 1931 and originally marketed by the Mead Johnson Company. The cereal marked a breakthrough in nutritional science: it helped prevent rickets, a crippling childhood disease, by ensuring that children had sufficient vitamin D in their diet. A popular addition to the infant's diet and remains a top choice by parents for infant food today.

Along with the nutritional aspect Pablum is palatable to infants and easily digested without causing side effects like diarrhea or constipation. It is also unlikely to cause allergic reactions - a big concern for parents today.

It was three Canadian doctors: Frederick Tisdall (1893-1949), Theodore Drake (1891-1959), and Alan Brown (1887-1960) in collaboration with nutrition laboratory technician Ruth Herbert along with Mead Johnson chemist Harry H. Engel who developed Pablum at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto.

Source: Wikipedia, Sickkids.ca

Canadian Discovery: Insulin

Did you know Canada.. it was Canadian doctor Sir Frederick Grant Banting who was one of the main discovers of insulin.

Sir Frederick Grant Banting born near Alliston, Ontario in 1891.

This discovery earned Banting a Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1923 and the Canadian Parliament granted him a Life Annuity of $7,500.

It was in February 1941 that Banting was killed in an air disaster in Newfoundland while he was serving as liaison officer between the British and North American medical services during the Second World War.

Then in 2006 he was voted 4th out of the top 10 greatest Canadians.

Source: uToronto, nobelprize.org

Canadian Inventions: Basketball

Did you know Canada..  it was Canadian James Naismith that invented the sport of Basketball in 1891.

Naismith was born in Almonte Ontario, and studied physical education in Montreal before moving to the United States. There he developed basketball in late 1891 while enrolled at the International YMCA Training School in Springfield, Massachusetts. Naismith was given 14 days to create an indoor game that would provide an "athletic distraction" to a class of unruly students during the winter.

The first game of Basketball consisted of 18 players (9 vs 9), a soccer ball and the hoops were a pair of peach baskets.

Source: naismithmuseum.com, Wikipedia

Anti-fog Glasses

Did you know Canada..  Quebec City's Université Laval have developed what they claim is the world's first permanent anti-fog coating.

Université Laval offers close to 400 academic programs in 17 faculties and 235 research Centres, Chairs and Institutes. It is classified as a Medical-Doctoral university for its medical school and extensive graduate population and is the home of North America’s only francophone faculties of Agriculture and Food Sciences, and of Forestry and Geomatics.

They're saying just one application is said to work indefinitely on eyeglasses, windshields, camera lenses, or any other transparent glass or plastic surface.  The permanent anti-fog coating uses polyvinyl alcohol that won't wear off overtime like other anti-fog products on the market.

Canadian Inventions: Standard Time

Did you know Canada.. it was Scottish Canadian, Sir Sandford Fleming that invented Standard Time.

Sir Sandford Fleming was a founding member of the Royal Society of Canada and founder of the Royal Canadian Institute.

After missing a train in 1876 in Ireland because its printed schedule listed p.m. instead of a.m., he proposed a single 24-hour clock for the entire world, based on the world globe meridian of Greenwich otherwise known as Greenwich mean time. He recommended the standard to the Royal Canadian Institute in 1879 and Standard Time was accepted in North America in 1884. By 1929 all of the major countries of the world had accepted time zones.

Source: biographi.ca, Wikipedia

Canadian Inventions: Road Lines

Did you know Canada.. it was John D. Millar, an engineer working for the Ontario Department of Transport who thought up the idea of painting lines on roads in the 1930s.

The world's first lines were painted on a portion of highway near the Ontario/Quebec border and within 3 years it was the standard across North America.

Source: Collections Canada