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Great Canadian Inventors

Monday, March 22, 2010 7:54 am

Maybe it’s in the water, but whatever the reason, North America is the home of many great inventors. Not to be out done by their southern neighbors, Canada has had more than their fair share.

Canada’s population is about 33 million with over 2 million patents granted by the Canadian Intellectual Property Office in Gatineau, Quebec. Those numbers compare very favorably with 300 million people in the United States and a little over 8 million issued U.S. patents. The following is a short list of Great Canadian Inventors submitted as evidence of Canada’s contribution to making the world a better place.

Although Thomas Edison might have invented the first commercially viable light bulb, it was Canadian Henry Woodward in 1874 who actually first patented the electric light bulb. Woodward sold his rights to Edison and the rest is history.

Alexander Graham Bell along with Canadian Emile Berliner co-invented the Gramophone, the forerunner to the phonograph record, cassette tape, CD and the iPod. Bell and Berliner collaborated in Brantford, Ontario.

As we drive our cars, vans and trucks we glance occasionally at the odometer to determine the distance traveled, or to calculate fuel economy. In 1838, Charles Finerty of Halifax, Nova Scotia was the first to think of, and invent, the odometer.

The popular McIntosh Apple was developed in 1796 from wild apple saplings found along the St. Lawrence River in Ontario. The Canadian inventor was John McIntosh.

People around the world are grateful for the work of Canadians Charles Best and Frederick Banting. They are responsible for inventing insulin, which in turn, has prolonged the lives of millions who suffer with diabetes. Best and Banting sold their rights to the University of Toronto for $1.00 so that everyone could be helped.

As the company’s website proudly states: “Every day, around the globe, Bombardier manufactures state-of-the-art planes and trains that help people and goods get where they need to go.” The company’s origins can be traced back to a 1960 Canadian patent awarded to a 14 year old Canadian boy for his snowmobile invention, later to be sold under the name Ski-Doo. The boy was Joseph-Armand Bombardier.

Who is responsible for the “Energizer Bunny”? It was Canadian Fredrick Urry Lewis. Lewis has powered all of our lives with his pioneering inventions of the rechargeable alkaline and lithium batteries.

What a wonderful continent North America is, especially when it comes to great inventors and their inventions. Pound for pound, Canada is a winner.

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