How are you
celebrating? I have family and food on deck at my house and am keeping my
fingers crossed the weather forecast is wrong for this afternoon (sunshine, please!) Who am I kidding? We’re Canadian. We BBQ in the
snow. A bit of rain isn’t going to stop us when there’s celebrating and good eats to be had.
As an
aside: did you know Butter Tarts aren’t a thing outside of Canada? I know. How
tragic!
Since we’re
celebrating 150 years since Confederation, it seems like the perfect time for a bit
of Canadian horn blowing (and yes, as a
romance writer, I’m aware how filthy that sounds, but get your mind out of the
gutter for a moment and let me regale you with some awesome things you probably
didn’t know were Canadian.)
 |
| Hail, Caesar(s)! |
Everyone
knows about basketball (invented by a Canadian PE teacher),
the Canadarm,
and the drink that eats like a meal, the Caesar (also not a thing outside of Canada, for
shame!)
But did you know about these:
THE EGG CARTON
Invented in 1911 by newspaper editor Joseph Coyle of Smithers, B.C.
THE ELECTRIC WHEELCHAIR
In 1952, engineer George Klein made the world more accessible with a motorized wheelchair.
THE FOGHORN
Robert Foulis invented a steam-powered foghorn in 1854, but died penniless because he didn't patent it. Boo.
GREEN CURRENCY INK
In 1862, Thomas Sterry Hunt invented the ink that makes U.S. bills green.
IMAX
Filmmakers Graeme Ferguson, Roman Kroiter, and Robert Kerr along with engineer Robert C. Shaw founded IMAX in 1967. (This one holds a spot in my heart since one of my besties works in their sound department.)
INSTANT REPLAY
CBC TV producer George Retzlaff used a kinescope when he created the first-ever Instant Replay in 1955. Not surprisingly, it was during a broadcast of Hockey Night in Canada.
INSULIN
Toronto scientists Frederick Banting, Charles Best, and James Collip discovered insulin (obviously they didn’t invent something that's naturally occurring) and learned how it could treat diabetes.
MCINTOSH APPLES
In 1811, farmer John McIntosh began grafting a wild apple tree at his South Dundas farm; by 1835 he had a marketable product.
THE ODOMETER
In 1854, Nova Scotia inventor Samuel McKeen created a device to measured distance with every revolution of a carriage wheel.
PEANUT BUTTER
Montreal pharmacist Marcellus Gilmore Edson patented the most gloriously perfect foodstuff EVER in 1884, as a food option for people who couldn't chew.
THE ROTARY SNOWPLOW
Toronto dentist, Dr. J.W. Elliot, first conceived the idea to clean up train tracks.
STANDARD TIME
Engineer Sandford Fleming brought standard time to U.S. and Canadian railways in 1883. Time zones became U.S. law in 1918 and were accepted worldwide by 1929.
TRIVIAL PURSUIT
Invented in 1979 by Montreal sports editor, Scott Abbott, and photo editor, Chris Haney.
THE WALKIE TALKIE
Don Hings invented what he called the "packset" in 1937. When Canada declared war on Germany two years later, he went to Ottawa to redevelop it for military use.
THE WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBLE BUS
Walter Harris Callow, a blind, quadriplegic veteran, invented the first wheelchair-accessible bus in 1947.
Yay, Canada!
And with
that, I leave you with perhaps the most Canadian news story since the Maple
Syrup Heist of 2012 (no,
I’m not making that up):
Police remove 'angry' beaver that stopped traffic in Barrie, Ont.
Read the story for yourself. And enjoy your long weekend!
Oh yeah – we’re
sorry about Justin Bieber, eh?
www.ldblakeley.com
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