Five Canadian inventions that are weather-related
Digital Reporter
Friday, September 25, 2015, 5:20 PM - Canada is known for its weather, so it's no surprise we've come up with some clever climate-related inventions. Here are five of them, in no particular order
5. THE SNOW BLOWER
Robert Carr Harris of Dalhousie, New Brunswick created a 'railway screw snow excavator' in 1870, a pre-cursor to the snow blower, which was invented by Arthur Sicard in 1925 in Therese, Quebec.
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By 1927, Sicard's snow blowers were removing snow from present-day burroughs of Montreal.
His company is now based in Watertown, New York.
4. THE STEAM-POWERED FOGHORN
Foghorns are a life-saving device that use a sound signal to warn vehicles of navigational hazards in foggy conditions.
The first automated steam-powered foghorn was invented by Robert Foulis of Saint John New Brunswick in the mid-19th century.
Legend has it Foulis heard his daughter playing the piano on a foggy night and noticed the low notes were easier to make out than the higher notes.
It inspired him to create a device that produced a low-frequency sound to warn ships of hazards, along with a code system to use with it.
Unfortunately, Foulis had difficulties patenting his invention and died in poverty.
3. SNOWMOBILE
The snowmobile was invented by Joseph-Armand Bombardier in Valcourt, Quebec in 1937. He later went on to found Bombardier, a world-renowned areospace and transportation company. The snowmobile is still considered Joseph-Armand's most famous invention.
2. THE BEARTRAP
The Beartrap is a helicopter device invented by the Royal Canadian Navy in the 1960s. It was created to help smaller warships operate in a wider range of weather conditions.
The technology has been adopted by navies around the world. Some aviation experts consider the Beartrap Canada's greatest contribution to naval aviation.
1. ICE HOCKEY
Stick-and-ball games were brought to Canada by British soldiers and immigrants, but James G. Creighton of Nova Scotia is widely credited with taking the "Halifax rules" version of the game to Montreal in the 1870s, where the game was altered to include "McGill rules". Since then, the game has grown into a beloved Canadian pastime.
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Hockey's first goalie masks are Canadian inventions as well.
The first versions were made of metal fencing and then, in the 1930s, tough leather.
Goaltenders didn't start wearing the masks full-tome until 1959.
