Life

12 things you didn’t know were invented by Canadians

The paint roller, highway lines, the Wonderbra and more

threeseamonsters/Flickr

1. Kitchen garbage bags: Three men—Harry Wasylyk, Larry Hansen and Frank Plomp—all separately came up with the idea in the 1950s.

2. Lawn sprinkler
: Invented in 1920 by Elijah McCoy, the son of runaway slaves in Ontario. McCoy was one of Canada’s most prolific inventors. Among his other 56 creations: the ironing board.

3. Odometers
: In 1854, Nova Scotia’s Samuel McKeen put a device on his carriage to measure wheel turns.

4. Robertson square-headed screwdriver: Invented by P.L Robertson in 1908.

5. Walkie-talkie
: Alfred Gross invented the walkie-talkie in 1938.

6. Instant replays: In 1955, CBC producer George Retzlaff introduced the world to
the first in-game sport replays.

7. Bloody Caesar: Invented in 1969 by restaurateur Walter
Chell in honour of a new Italian restaurant that opened in Calgary.

8. Wonderbra: Invented by Louise Poirier who, in 1963, was working for a Montreal-based lingerie company.

9. Five-pin bowling: Invented by T.E. Ryan of Toronto in 1909.

10. Paint roller: Invented by Norman Breakey of Toronto in 1940.

11. Pablum: Created by researchers at the University of Toronto in 1930. Royalties from its sales continue to support research at Toronto’s Hospital for Sick Children.

12. Road lines: Yes, there was a time when drivers had no lanes to stay
in, until 1930 when John Millar, an Ontario engineer, thought up the simple idea of painting lines on roads.

Sources: Library and Archives Canada, Canadian Institutes of Health Research, various websites

Have you ever wondered which cities have the most bars, smokers, absentee workers and people searching for love? What about how Canada compares to the world in terms of the size of its military, the size of our houses and the number of cars we own? The answers to all those questions, and many more, can be found in the first ever Maclean’s Book of Lists, hitting stands in time for Canada Day.

Buy your copy of the Maclean’s Book of Lists at the newsstand or order online now.

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