Americans can name some of the great inventors from their history, but what about great Canadians who changed our lives? Canada Post is celebrating these innovators by placing them on a stamp.
“This series shines a spotlight on the ‘Made in Canada’ leaps of science and creativity that have changed lives here in Canada and around the world,” said Jim Phillips, Director, Stamp Services at Canada Post.
Canadian cooks can thank inventor Thomas Ahearn for inventing the electric oven in 1892. The original model was made of brick, two metres wide by two metres high and, according to the press at the time, hot enough to “roast an ox.”
One of Canada’s most prolific inventors, George J. Klein, created an electric wheelchair that offered mobility to quadriplegics and changed their lives for the better.
In 1950, while studying hypothermia, Dr. John Hopps developed the world’s first cardiac pacemaker, which brought hope to those suffering with heart disease. The first version of the now common medical device was far too large to be placed inside the human body.
Research In Motion first introduced the iconic BlackBerry® in 1999. This now ubiquitous device freed information workers from their desks and changed the way the world communicates.
Photo by StrebKR