We Made That!

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Photo by Carlos Eduardo on Unsplash


Canadians are famously modest, which might explain why no one talks enough about just how many world-changing inventions have come from the Great White North. While we’re busy holding doors open and apologizing for bumping into furniture, we’ve also managed to invent insulin, the snowmobile, and even the game-changing garbage bag. Not bad for a country that spends half the year shoveling snow. From practical to groundbreaking (and sometimes both), here’s a look at the clever creations that prove Canadian brains are just as impressive as our landscapes.

Telephone – Alexander Graham Bell

Light Bulb - Henry Woodward and Mathew Evans

Insulin – Frederick Banting and Charles Best

Snowmobile – Joseph-Armand Bombardier

Robertson Screwdriver (square-headed screwdriver) – P.L. Robertson

IMAX Film System – Graeme Ferguson, Roman Kroitor, Robert Kerr, William Shaw

Canadarm (Space Robotic Arm) – Spar Aerospace / Canadian Space Agency

Peanut Butter (patented) – Marcellus Gilmore Edson

Paint Roller – Norman Breakey

Walkie-Talkie – Donald Hings

Java Programming Language (co-creator) – James Gosling

Electric Wheelchair – George Klein

Pager – Alfred J. Gross

Green Garbage Bag – Harry Wasylyk and Larry Hansen

Standard Time – Sir Sandford Fleming

Electron Microscope (first practical model) – James Hillier

Sonar (improvements and wartime applications) – Robert William Boyle

Kerosene – Abraham Gesner

Newsprint Paper (modern wood pulp method) – Charles Fenerty

G- suit (anti-gravity suit for pilots) – Wilbur Franks

Trivial Pursuit (board game) – Chris Haney and Scott Abbott

AM Radio Transmission (pioneering work) – Reginald Fessenden

BlackBerry Smartphone – Mike Lazaridis (founder of Research In Motion)

Five-Pin Bowling – Thomas F. Ryan

Basketball – James Naismith (Canadian-born, invented the sport in the U.S.

Hockey - Invented in 19th-century Canada

Lacrosse - William George Beers around 1860

Goalie Mask - professional hockey goal tender Jacques Plante in 1960

Milking Machine (improved version) – Jeremiah Bailey

Instant Replay (sports broadcasting) – George Retzlaff

Telephone Handset (combined transmitter and receiver) – Charles Fleetford Sise Jr.

Artificial Pacemaker (prototype) – John A. Hopps

Ski-Doo (modern personal snowmobile brand) – Joseph-Armand Bombardier

Hydraulic Wheelchair Lift – D&D Motions (company co-founded in Canada)



Comments

  1. KandasJuly 13, 2025 at 11:22 AM

    I did not know that Bell as Canadian! Learned something new today.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. BarbaraJuly 14, 2025 at 8:42 AM

      He was actually Scottish but lived in both Canada and the US

      Delete
  2. AnonymousJuly 13, 2025 at 11:51 AM

    He was a Scottish-born Canadian-American inventor, scientist, and engineer who is credited with patenting the first practical telephone. He also co-founded the American Telephone and Telegraph Company (AT&T) in 1885.

    So Canada can’t get at the credit.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. BarbaraJuly 13, 2025 at 6:22 PM

      correct. He was Scottish and lived in both Canada and the US. He developed the idea for the telephone while he was in Canada. Bell conceived of the telephone while in Brantford, Ontario, and even made the first one-way long distance call between Brantford and Paris, Ontario. The patent and development was done in Boston. We're happy to share the credit. ;)

      Delete
  3. Lily LeungJuly 13, 2025 at 4:05 PM

    What a long list! Thanks, Barbara.

    ReplyDelete
  4. JenniferJuly 13, 2025 at 9:03 PM

    This was an interesting list! I also didn't realize that Alexander Graham Bell was Canadian.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. BarbaraJuly 14, 2025 at 8:38 AM

      He was Scottish but lived in Canada and the US.

      Delete
  5. TamaraJuly 14, 2025 at 3:41 AM

    What an impressive list of inventions! Honestly, apart from hockey I didn't have much of a clue ;-)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. BarbaraJuly 14, 2025 at 8:39 AM

      I didn't know many of these before researching for this post either.

      Delete

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