- List of Canadian inventions, innovations, and discoveries
- List of British innovations and discoveries
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list of canadian inventions innovations and discoveries
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Canadian inventions and discoveries are objects, processes, or techniques—invented, innovated, or discovered—that owe their existence either partially or entirely to a person born in Canada, a citizen of Canada, or a company or organization based in Canada. Some of these inventions were funded by National Research Council Canada (NRCC), which has been an important factor in innovation and technological advancement. Often, things discovered for the first time are also called inventions and in many cases, there is no clear line between the two.
The following is a list of inventions, innovations or discoveries known or generally recognized to be Canadian.
Inventions and improvements
Notable Canadian inventions and improvements to existing technologies include:
= Agriculture, food and beverage
=Ambrosia apple – first cultivated in British Columbia during the early 1990s.
B.C. roll – a type of sushi invented in Vancouver in 1974 by chef Hidekazu Tojo.
Beaver tails and touton – fried dough pastry that is sold in a variety of flavours.
Butter tart – a filling of butter, sugar, syrup, and egg, baked in a pastry shell.
Caesar (cocktail) – invented by Walter Chell in Calgary in 1969.
California roll – a sushi roll with the seaweed wrapped on the inside of the rice, said to be created by the Japanese-Canadian chef living in Vancouver, Hidekazu Tojo, in 1974, although there are competing claims.
Canada Dry Ginger Ale – a dry ginger ale invented by John J. McLaughlin in 1904 under the name of "Pale Ginger Ale", before it was patented in 1907 under "Canada Dry Ginger Ale".
Canola Oil – developed from natural rapeseed (a plant from the turnip family) by National Research Council Canada (NRCC) personnel in the 1970s, containing a low-erucic acid content.
Cheezies – a brand of cheese puff snack food made and sold in Canada by W. T. Hawkins Ltd.
Cipaille – a Quebec adaptation of sea-pie without seafood.
Coffee Crisp – a chocolate bar invented by British company Rowntree in Canada.
Crispy Crunch – created by Harold Oswin in 1930.
Donair – a regional variation of the doner kebab, using beef instead of lamb. Invented in Halifax, Nova Scotia around 1970 by Peter Gamoulakos.
Fricot – A traditional stew consisting of clams, chicken and other meats.
Ginger beef – is a Canadian Chinese dish made from beef, ginger, and a distinctive sweet sauce.
Hawaiian pizza – invented by the Greek-Canadian cook and businessman Sam Panopoulos, in 1962.
Instant mashed potatoes (dehydrated potato flakes) – invented by Edward Asselbergs in 1962.
Jubilee apple – developed by Pacific Agri-Food Research Centre in British Columbia.
London Fog – a hot tea-based drink that consists of Earl Grey tea, steamed milk, and vanilla syrup.
Maple taffy – a sugar candy made by boiling maple sap.
Marquis wheat – invented by Charles E. Saunders in 1908 and tested at the Agassiz experimental farm in British Columbia. (c. 1900), developed from Red Fife wheat.
McIntosh apple – developed by John McIntosh in Upper Canada in 1811
Montreal melon – originally cultivated in the Montreal area but lost due to industrialization. The melon's seeds have recently been rediscovered and its cultivation revitalized.
Nanaimo bar – a dessert bar that requires no baking, invented in Nanaimo around 1953.
Pablum – infant cereal, invented by Frederick Tisdall, Theodore Drake, and Allan Brown in 1930.
Peanut butter – Canadian chemist Marcellus Gilmore Edson patented a way to make "peanut paste", also known as peanut butter in 1884.
Pizza Pops – a calzone-type snack produced by Pillsbury.
Poutine – created in the Centre-du-Québec region in the 1950s.
Ragoût de boulettes (Meatball Stew) – traditional Canadian comfort food from Quebec.
Ragoût de pattes (Stewed Pig's Feet) – French-Canadian stew with leg or feet, originating in Quebec.
Red Fife wheat – a Canadian landrace descendant of Western Ukrainian (Galicia) wheat, first grown by David Fife in Upper Canada in 1842.
Spartan apple – an apple similar to the McIntosh introduced to Summerland, British Columbia in 1936, developed by R. C. Palmer.
Tourtière – a French Canadian meat pie common during holidays, invented in the early 1600's, with the first recipe in 1840.
Yukon Gold potato – invented by Gary Johnston in 1966.
= Computing, film, and animation
=Archie (search engine) – the first internet search engine, invented by Alan Emtage at McGill University around 1988.
Film colorization – invented by Wilson Markle in 1983.
IMAX movie system – co-invented by Graeme Ferguson, Roman Kroitor, and Robert Kerr in 1968, following the creation of what is now the IMAX Corporation.
Java programming language – invented by James Gosling in 1994.
Key frame animation – co-invented by Nestor Burtnyk and Marcelli Wein at the NRC in the 1970s.
Multi-dynamic image technique – invented by Christopher Chapman in 1967.
Trackball – first built for the DATAR computer (although the concept was first mentioned in a similar project in the United Kingdom).
= Communications
=56k modem – invented by Dr. Brent Townshend in 1996
735 kV power line – the international standard for long-distance electricity transmission, invented by Jean-Jacques Archambault in Quebec, where the world's first 735,000-volt line was commissioned in 1965
AM broadcasting – invented by Reginald Fessenden in 1906
Amplitude modulation – invented by Reginald Fessenden in 1906
BlackBerry device – its development was led by Mike Lazaridis, who founded BlackBerry Limited
Cesium Beam atomic clock – developed by National Research Council personnel in the 1960s
Computerized braille – invented by Roland Galarneau in 1972
Creed teleprinter system – invented by Frederick G. Creed in 1900
Fathometer – an early form of sonar invented by Reginald Fessenden in 1919
Gramophone – co-invented by Alexander Graham Bell in 1889
Hot-wire barretter – invented by Reginald Fessenden in 1902
Newsprint and pulped-wood paper – invented by Charles Fenerty in 1838
Pager – invented by Irving "Al" Gross in 1949
Quartz clock – built by Warren Marrison in 1927
Radiotelephony – first demonstrated by Reginald Fessenden in 1901
Standard time – introduced by Scottish-Canadian Sandford Fleming in 1878
Telephone – invented by Alexander Graham Bell in 1876
Telephone handset – invented by Cyrille Duquet in 1878
Undersea telegraph cable – invented by British-Canadian Frederic Newton Gisborne in 1857
Walkie-talkie – invented by Donald Hings and Irving "Al" Gross in 1942 for military use
= Climate-related
=Rotary snowplow – invented by Canadian dentist J.W. Elliot in 1869, and perfected by Orange Jull of Orangeville, Ontario
Snow blower – invented by Arthur Sicard (1927)
Steam-powered foghorn – invented by Robert Foulis (1859)
= Defence
=ASDIC – invented by Robert William Boyle in 1916
Canadian pipe mine – a land mine used in Britain in World War II
Beartrap (hauldown device) – invented for the Royal Canadian Navy in the early 1960s to assist helicopter landings onboard ships
CADPAT – the first digital camouflage system, which was then used for the United States MARPAT (1996)
G-suit (or anti-gravity suit) – a suit for high-altitude jet pilots invented by Wilbur R. Franks in 1941
Defendo – a Canadian martial art
Gunstock war club – an indigenous weapon used by many First Nations in Canada
Gas mask – the first widely used military gas mask was introduced by Cluny Macpherson in 1915
Sonar – invented by Reginald Fessenden
Stealth snowmobile – in 2011 the Canadian Armed Forces announced the development by Canadian-based company CrossChasm Technologies
Tomahawk – traditional Canadian war instrument created by the Algonquian peoples
= Domestic life and fashion
=Alkaline battery – invented by Lewis Urry in 1954
Amauti – an Inuit woman's parka from Canada's eastern Arctic used to carry (pack) children
Bi-pin connector – invented by Reginald Fessenden in 1893
Bottle return programs [1]— programs where alcoholic bottles are returned from consumers in exchange for money
Capote – worn by the inhabitants of New France to protect from the harsh winters
Ceinture fléchée – one of many pieces of Canadian clothing listed
The first coloured coins used in circulation
Easy-Off – an oven cleaner invented by Herbert McCool in Regina in 1932
Egg carton – invented by Joseph Coyle of Smithers, British Columbia, in 1911
Electric cooking range – invented by Thomas Ahearn in 1882
Garbage bag – invented by Harry Wasylyk in 1950
Green ink – invented by American Thomas Sterry Hunt in 1862 while teaching at Université Laval; used for various U.S. banknotes
Igloos – a type of shelter from the Arctic
Incandescent light bulb – invented in 1874 by Henry Woodward, who sold the patent to Thomas Edison
Jolly Jumper – a baby jumper invented by Olivia Poole in 1959
Kerosene – discovered in the 1840s by Abraham Gesner
Lawn sprinkler – invented by Elijah McCoy
LongPen – invented by Margaret Atwood
Parka – invented by the Inuit in the Arctic to protect the wearer from the cold
Plexiglas – made practical by William Chalmers' invention for creating methyl methacrylate, while a graduate student at McGill University in 1931
Snow goggles – used by Inuit to prevent snow blindness in the Arctic due to the glare from snow and ice and were made typically from ivory, bone or other materials
Snowshoes – perfected by First Nations to traverse through deep snow more effectively
Wonderbra Model 1300 (aka Dream Lift) – the modern plunged-style push-up bra, designed by Louise Poirier in 1964. Though the term Wonder-Bra was coined by an American named Israel Pilot in 1935, the brand itself was popularized by Canadian Moses Nadler, who licensed (and later won) the Wonderbra patent from Pilot. Nadler made his first Wonderbra in 1939 at his Montreal-based Canadian Lady Corset Company, and directed Poirier, his employee, to design the Model 1300 bra
= Science and medicine
=A process for producing calcium carbide for acetylene was invented by Thomas Willson in 1892
Artificial cardiac pacemaker – invented by John Alexander Hopps in 1950/1951
A process to extract bromine was invented by Herbert Henry Dow in 1890
CPR mannequin – invented by Dianne Croteau in 1989
Ebola vaccine – discovered by researchers at the federal Public Health Agency of Canada in 2014
The first practical electron microscope was built by James Hillier and Arthur Prebus in 1939
Explosives vapour detector EVD-1 – invented by Dr. Lorne Elias in 1985
Finite element method, a method for numerically solving differential equations, invented by Alexander Hrennikoff
Forensic pathology in policing – introduced by Dr. Frances Gertrude McGill (1877–1959)
Insulin – the process for extracting medicinal insulin was invented by Frederick Banting, Charles Best, and James Collip (1922)
Medium 199 – the world's first purely synthetic nutrient medium for growing cells, discovered in 1945 by Dr. Raymond Parker of Connaught Laboratories at the University of Toronto. Dr. Parker's achievement had a key role in the discovery of the polio vaccine
Montreal procedure – a treatment for severe epilepsy invented by Wilder Penfield at the Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital in 1930, allowing patients to remain awake and describe their reactions while the surgeon stimulates different areas of the brain
NeisVac‑C – a conjugate vaccine developed in 1982 by Harold Jennings and his Ottawa-based team for immunizing against Group C meningococcal meningitis
Oil Red O – a forensic technique discovered by Alexandre Beaudoin in 2004
Palm n’ Turn – child-proof container technology developed by Dr. Henri Breault in 1967
Radon – the fifth radioactive element to be discovered, in 1899 by Ernest Rutherford and Robert B. Owens at McGill University in Montreal
Synthetic sucrose – invented by Dr. Raymond Lemieux in 1953
UV-degradable plastic – by Dr. James Guillet in 1971
Weevac 6 – a stretcher for babies invented by Wendy Murphy in 1985
= Sport, music, and entertainment
=Abdominizer – an abdominal exerciser invented by Dennis Colonello in 1984
Basketball – invented by James Naismith in 1891
Birchbark biting – an Indigenous artform made by Anishinaabe
Baseball – one of the first ever recorded baseball type game in Canada was played in Beachville, Upper Canada on 4 June 1838
Contrabass bugle – first produced by the Whaley Royce Company, it is the lowest-pitched brass instrument in the drum and bugle corps and marching band hornline
Crokinole – a disk-flicking dexterity board game possibly invented by Eckhardt Wettlaufer who produced the first board in 1875
DigiSync – a barcode reader used in motion picture production that was invented by Mike Lazaridis; it won an Emmy in 1994 and Academy Award for Technical Achievement in 1998
Electronic sackbut – invented by Hugh Le Caine in 1945 as a precursor to voltage-controlled synthesizers
Five-pin bowling – invented by Thomas F. Ryan in Toronto in 1909
Goalie mask – invented by Jacques Plante in 1959
Ice hockey – invented in 19th century Canada
Instant replay – invented for CBC's Hockey Night in Canada in 1955
Inuit art – art created by Inuit
Jockstrap hard cup – added to the existing jockstrap undergarment by Guelph Elastic Hosiery in 1927
Lacrosse – codified by William George Beers around 1860
Northwest Coast art – art originally created by Indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast of Canada
Pitchnut – flicking game from Canada
Ringette – invented by Sam Jacks and Mirl "Red" McCarthy in 1963
Robb Wave Organ – world's first electric organ, invented and patented by Morse Robb in 1928
Superman – co-created by Canadian cartoonist Joe Shuster in 1932
Snocross – a racing sport involving racing specialized high performance snowmobiles
Six String Nation – public art and history project conceived by Jowi Taylor and centred around a steel-string acoustic guitar built from a variety of artifacts collected by Taylor representing diverse cultures, communities, characters and events from every province and territory of Canada
Table hockey game – invented by Donald Munro (1930s)
Trivial Pursuit – invented by Chris Haney and Scott Abbott in 1979
Tautirut – a bowed zither native to the Inuit culture in the Canadian north
Television camera – F.C.P. Henroteau in 1934
Qilaut – a type of frame drum that originates from the Arctic and the Inuit
= Tools and manufacturing
=Automatic Lubricating Cup – Elijah McCoy invented an automatic lubricator for oiling the steam engines of locomotives and ships in 1872
Caulking gun – invented by Theodore Witte in 1894
Collerette ladder for firefighting – invented by Montreal firefighter Rodrigue Colleret and demonstrated in London in 1896
Kakivak – a leister used by Inuit for spear fishing and fishing at short range
A process for distilling kerosene was invented by Abraham Pineo Gesner and made the fuel popular
Paint roller – invented by Norman James Breakey of Toronto in 1940
Robertson screw – invented by Peter L. Robertson in 1908
Rotary vane pump – invented by Charles Barnes and patented in 1874
Toggling harpoon – an Inuit tool used by Inuit while whale or seal hunting to impale the animal when thrown
Ulu – an all-purpose knife traditionally used by Inuit women
= Transportation and mobility
=Air-conditioned railway coach – invented by Henry Ruttan in 1858
BIXI Montréal – a public bicycle-sharing system launched in Montreal in 2009
Brunton compass – patented by David W. Brunton in 1894
Canadarm – developed by staff of the Spar Aerospace (1981)
Crash position indicator – invented by personnel of the National Research Council Canada in the 1950s
Compound steam engine for marine use – invented by Benjamin Franklin Tibbetts in 1842
Canadian – the birch bark canoe was developed by First Nations in Canada
Electric car heater – invented by Thomas Ahearn in 1890
Electric wheelchair – invented by George Klein in 1952 for World War II veterans
Electrically controlled variable-pitch propeller – invented by Wallace Rupert Turnbull and tested at CFB Borden (1927)
Hydrofoil boat – invented by Alexander Graham Bell and Casey Baldwin in 1908
JACO – a robotic arm for wheelchairs invented by Charles Deguire and Louis-Joseph Caron L'Écuyer from the Canadian technology company Kinova
The first commercial jetliner to fly in North America – designed by James C. Floyd, the term jetliner being derived from his Avro Canada C102 Jetliner (1949)
Nodwell 110, a multi-purpose two-tracked vehicle – invented by Bruce Nodwell
Parclo (partial cloverleaf) interchange – developed by planners at the Ministry of Transportation of Ontario (c. 20th century)
Quasiturbine – invented in 1996
Road lines – invented by John D. Millar, an engineer for the Ontario Department of Transport. The world's first road lines were subsequently painted on a stretch of highway between Ontario and Quebec in 1930
Screw-propeller – invented by John Patch in 1833
Separable baggage check – invented by John Michael Lyons in 1882
Snowmobile – invented by Joseph-Armand Bombardier (1937)
TM4 MФTIVE – a lightweight magnet electric motor invented by Pierre Couture in 1982
Uno dicycle – invented by Ben Gulak while still a teenager in 2006
Wheelchair-accessible bus – invented by Walter Harris Callow in 1947
Variable-pitch aircraft propeller – Wallace Rupert Turnbull of Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada is credited in Canada for creating the first variable pitch propeller in 1918
ZENN – a two-seat battery electric vehicle that was produced by the ZENN Motor Company of Canada from 2006 to 2010
= Animal breeds
=Canadian Eskimo Dog – is a working breed of dog native to the Arctic
Canadienne cattle – the only breed of dairy cattle developed in Canada
Cymric cat – The Cymric is a muscular, compact, medium-to-large cat that weighs between 3.2 to 5.9 kg (7 to 13 lb), and Canada claims to have developed the long-haired variant
Canadian Arcott – a breed of domestic sheep native to Canada
Newfoundland dog – an unnamed Newfoundland is famous for saving Napoleon Bonaparte from drowning
Canadian horse – a breed of horse that is powerful, well-muscled, and typically dark in colour
Chantecler chicken – a breed of chicken originating at Abbey of Notre-Dame du Lac, Oka, Quebec
Hare Indian Dog – an extinct domesticated canine; possibly a breed of domestic dog, coydog, or domesticated coyote; formerly found and originally bred in northern Canada by the Sahtu (Hare Indians) for coursing
Lac La Croix Indian Pony – also known as the Ojibwe pony (bebezhigooganzhii, mishdatim) is a semi-feral Canadian horse breed developed by the Ojibwe
Landseer dog – canine breed, the Landseer was developed in Canada and in continental Europe, a black and white variant of the Newfoundland is acknowledged as a distinct breed
Lacombe pig – breed of swine from Alberta
Labrador Retriever – breed of dog developed in the United Kingdom from St. John's water dogs imported from the colony of Newfoundland
Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever – a hunting-focused medium-sized gundog breed
Newfoundland sheep – a breed of sheep native to Newfoundland
Red Shaver – a sex-related breed of chicken called the Red Shaver was created in Canada
Speckle Park – a modern Canadian breed of beef cattle
Sphynx cat – cats of the Canadian Sphynx breed are distinguished by their lack of fur
St. John's water dog – an extinct landrace of domestic dog from Newfoundland
Tahltan Bear Dog – a breed of dog that came to Canada in early migrations and acclimatised to the environment
Tonkinese cat – Tonkinese cats are intelligent, loud, lively, and typically people-oriented
= Holidays and events
=Canada Day – celebrated nationwide 1 July annually, marks Canada's 1867 Confederation and establishment of dominion status,
Civic Holiday – is a public holiday in Canada celebrated on the first Monday in August
Family Day – In most provinces of Canada, the third Monday in February is observed as a regional statutory holiday
National Day for Truth and Reconciliation – is a Canadian holiday to recognize the legacy of the Canadian Indian residential school system
Nunavut Day – 9 July, originated as a paid holiday for Nunavut Tunngavik Incorporated and regional Inuit associations. It became a half-day holiday for government employees in 1999 and a full day in 2001. Most employers give the day off with the notable exceptions being the federal government and the North West Company
Ramp Ceremonies – a popular military tradition that started in the 2000s when bringing the nations fallen soldiers home
Thanksgiving – First celebrated in 1578 in what is now Nunavut
Victoria Day – is a federal Canadian public holiday celebrated on the last Monday preceding May 25 to honour Queen Victoria
See also
Category:Canadian inventors
Canadian Made, television series
The Greatest Canadian Invention, television show
Science and technology in Canada
Technological and industrial history of 20th-century Canada
References
External links and further reading
"Top 100 Inventions Made in Canada," ThoughtCo
Canadian invented words & terms
Roy Mayer, Inventing Canada: 100 Years of Innovation