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CANADIAN INVENTORS AND INVENTIONS

© Mary M. Alward

Can you name a Canadian inventor, or invention? If not, don’t feel bad. There have been over a million inventions patented by Canadian inventors. Even though Canadians have created popular items, games and sports, not many people, including Canadians, can name more than one invention that originated in Canada.

In 1874, Henry Woodward invented the electric light bulb. He later sold it to Thomas Edison, who perfected and patented it. Today, if you ask someone who invented the light bulb, they will promptly answer, “Thomas Edison.”

The Gramophone was co-invented, in 1889, by Alexander Graham Bell and Emile Berliner. When Bell left Scotland with his parents, he settled in Brantford, Ontario, where he began experiment with what would later be known as the telephone. Bell later moved to Boston but returned to Brantford on a regular basis to visit his parents.

In 1846, Doctor Abraham Gesner developed the process for making kerosene. Gesner was born in 1797 in Nova Scotia, Canada. He later studied to become a doctor in London, England. After going broke, Gesner immigrated to the United States where he patented the formula for making kerosene. He returned to Canada as a professor of chemistry at Dalhousie University in 1864. He died later that year in Halifax.

Ever eaten on of those juicy, red McIntosh apples? They were named after John McIntosh who immigrated to Canada from New York’s Mohawk Valley in 1796. He settled on the banks of the St. Lawrence River at Dundela, Ontario. There, in an overgrown apple orchard, he found wild apple saplings. The fruit was aromatic and tasty. McIntosh transplanted the saplings, one of which survived. Later, his son propagated it into a commercial producer. It then became known as “The McIntosh Red.” It is delicious to eat from the hand but is great for pies, applesauce, cobbler, cider and fruit salads.

Enjoy the morning paper? Give thanks to another Canadian. In 1838, Charles Fenerty of Halifax, Nova Scotia invented the first paper made from wood pulp. He was supplying a paper mill with rags to make paper when he discovered it could be made from wood. He never patented his process. Eventually others patented it.

When we go on vacation or a business trip, we often use the odometer to keep track of mileage and gas consumption. Canadian Samuel McKein, who resided in Nova Scotia, invented the first version of the device in 1854. He attached it to the side of his carriage. As the wheels turned, the odometer measured the amount of miles he had traveled.

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