List of Canadian inventions

As "necessity is the mother of invention", the range of Canadian inventions is a reflection of the particular circumstance of the nation: it is a large country with a need for innovation to help bridge the distance gap. Fittingly, many of her inventions have been in the fields of transportation and communications, while others reflect her position as a northern country rich in primary resources and cold weather. Numerous advances have also been achieved in devices related to improving the way these resources are developed (as in agriculture and manufacturing). But like so many inventions, many of her important achievements either built on other works or were improved by others so that precedence is sometimes difficult to pin down (see for example the light bulb). The nation's taxpayers also fund the National Research Council of Canada (NRCC), which has been an important factor in innovation and technological advancement over several decades.

Inventions and improvements

Notable Canadian inventions and improvements to existing technologies include:

Computing and Animation

• Charge coupled device was co-invented by Canadian physicist Willard Boyle and American physicist George E. Smith (1969).
• Key Frame Animation was invented by Nestor Burtnyk and Marcelli Wein in the 1970s.

Agriculture

• Canola (or rapeseed) was developed by National Research Council personnel in the (1940s).
• McIntosh Red apple was developed by John McIntosh.
• Manure spreader was invented by Joseph Kemp in 1875.

Communication

• The Walkie-Talkie was invented by Alfred J. Gross (1941).
• The television camera was improved by F.C.P. Henroteau (1934).
• Amplitude modulation was invented by Reginald Fessenden in 1906.
• Standard time was introduced by Sir Sandford Fleming (1878).
• The Cesium Beam atomic clock was developed by National Research Council personnel in the 1960s.
• Java programming language was invented by James Gosling.
• Development of the BlackBerry was led by Mike Lazaridis.
• The Pager was invented by Alfred J. Gross in 1949.
• The 56k modem was invented by Dr. Brent Townshend in 1996.
• The Telephone was invented by Scottish-born inventor Alexander Graham Bell in Brantford, Ontario
• Brunton compass was patented by David W. Brunton in 1894.
• Radio telephony was first demonstrated by Reginald A. Fessenden in 1901. 27.
• the IMax Movie System was Co-invented by Grahame Ferguson, Roman Kroitor, and Robert Kerr in 1968.
• Fathometer an early form of sonar invented by Reginald A. Fessenden in 1919.
• Computerized Braille was invented by Roland Galarneau in 1972.
• Hot wire barretter was invented by Reginald A. Fessenden in 1902.

Transportation and mobility

• The separable baggage check was invented by John Michael Lyons in 1882.
• The hydrofoil boat was invented by Alexander Graham Bell and Casey Baldwin(1908).
• The term jetliner was derived from the Avro Jetliner designed by James C. Floyd in (1949).
• The electric streetcar was improved by John Joseph Wright in (1883).
• The Canadarm was developed by staff of the National Aeronautical Establishment (1981).
• The variable pitch propeller was invented by Wallace Rupert Turnbull (1927).
• The snowmobile was invented by Joseph-Armand Bombardier (1937).
• The Crash Position Indicator was invented by personnel of the National Research Council in the (1950s)
• The Parclo (partial cloverleaf) interchange was developed by planners at the Ontario Department of Highways (20th century)
• The Uno motorcycle was invented by Ben Gulak while still a teenager in 2006.
• Bixi, a public bicycle sharing system launched in Montreal in 2009.
• JACO, a robotic arm for wheelchair invented by Charles Deguire and Louis-Joseph Caron L'Écuyer from Kinova.
• Power Knee, a robotic leg device invented by Victhom
• TM4 MФTIVE, a lightweight magnet electric motor invented by Pierre Couture in 1982.
• The Quasiturbine was invented in 1996.
• Birch bark Canoe was invented in Canada by aboriginals.
• The Electric wheelchair was invented by George Klein in 1952.
• Prosthetic Hand was invented by Helmut Lucas in 1971.
• Jetliner The first commercial jetliner to fly in North America was designed by James Floyd in 1949
• Compound Steam Engine was invented by Benjamin Franklin Tibbetts in 1842.
• Electric Car Heater was invented by Thomas Ahearn in 1890.

Climate

• The snow blower was invented by Arthur Sicard (1927).
• The foghorn was invented by Robert Foulis (1854).
• The rotary snowplow for railroads was invented by a Canadian dentist in 1869.

Defence

• The gas mask was improved by Cluny MacPherson in 1915.
• The G-suit was invented by Wilbur R. Franks in 1941.
• The Walkie-Talkie was invented by Donald L. Hings and Alfred J. Gross in 1942 for military use.
• SONAR was invented by Reginald Fessenden .
• ASDIC was invented by Robert William Boyle in 1916.
• The Beartrap (helicopter device) was invented for the Royal Canadian Navy in the early 1960s and still in use in the 21st century by the Canadian Forces Maritime Command.
• The CADPAT was the first ion and passive negative ion generator uniform in the world developed in 1996.

Sport and entertainment

• Table hockey games was invented by Donald Munro (1930s).
• Basketball was invented by James Naismith (1892).
• The goalie mask was invented by Jacques Plante in 1959.
• IMAX was co-invented by Roman Kroitor in 1968.
• DigiSync a bar-code reader used in motion picture production was invented by Mike Lazaridis (it won Emmy and Academy Awards in 1999)
• Five pin bowling was invented by Thomas F. Ryan in Toronto in 1909.
• Lacrosse was codified by William George Beers around 1860.
• Ice hockey was invented in Windsor, Nova Scotia. The life long dispute has been made official.^{[citation needed]}
• Instant Replay was invented by CBC’s Hockey Night in Canada in 1955.
• Abdomenizer was invented by Dennis Colonello in 1984.
• Trivial Pursuit was invented by Chris Haney and Scott Abbott in 1979.

Science and Medicine

• Insulin (as a diabetes treatment) was invented by Frederick Banting, Charles Best and James Collip (1922)
• Cobalt-60 “Bomb” Cancer Treatment was invented by Harold Johns in 1951.
• Electron Microscope was invented by James Hillier and Arthur Prebus in 1939.
• Explosives Vapour Detector was invented by Lorne Elias in 1985.
• Bromine A process to extract was invented by Herbert Henry Dow in 1890.
• Bone Marrow Compatibility Test was invented by Barbara Bain in 1960.
• Calcium Carbide Thomas Willson invented a process for Calcium Carbide in 1892.
• Acetylene Thomas L. Wilson invented the production process in 1892.

Domestic life

• Pablum was invented by Frederick Tisdall, Theodore Drake, and Allan Brown in 1930.
• Plexiglas was invented by William Chalmers while a graduate student at McGill University in 1931.
• Easy-Off Oven Cleaner was invented by Herbert McCool in Regina in 1932.
• The garbage bag was invented by Harry Wasylyk, 1950.
• The jolly jumper was invented by Olivia Poole in 1959.
• Caesar (cocktail), introduced in Calgary in 1969.
• Bi-pin connector was invented by Reginald Fessenden in 1893.
• Wonderbra was invented by Louise Poirier.
• cardiac pacemaker was invented by John Hopps.
• Alkaline battery was invented by Lewis Urry in 1954.
• Ardox Spiral Nail was invented by Allan Dove.
• Automatic Lubricating Cup was invented by Elijah McCoy in 1872.
• Caulking gun was invented by Theodore Witte in 1894.
• Electric Oven was invented by Thomas Ahearn in 1882.
• Kerosene was invented by Doctor Abraham Gesner in 1846.
• WEEVAC 6 was invented by Wendy Murphy.
• Egg carton was invented by Joseph Coyle of Smithers, British Columbia in 1911.

Tools and manufacturing

• A process for distilling Kerosene was invented by Abraham Gesner.
• A process for making pulped wood paper was invented by Charles Fenerty
• The paint roller was invented by Norman James Breakey.
• The Robertson screw was invented by P.L. Robertson
• The rotary vane pump was invented by Charles Barnes.

Food

• Poutine
• Nanaimo Bar
• Butter Tarts
• Peanut butter was first patented by Marcellus Gilmore Edson in 1884.
• Instant mashed potatoes were invented by Edward Asselbergs in 1962.
• Pablum was invented by Canadian doctors Frederick Tisdall, Theodore Drake, and Alan Brown in 1930.
• Marquis wheat was invented by Charles E. Saunders.
• Canada Dry Ginger Ale was invented by John A. McLaughlin in 1907.

See also

• Category:Canadian inventors
• The Greatest Canadian Invention.
• Science and technology in Canada