Did You Know These Popular Inventions Were Created by Canadians?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around notable inventions attributed to Canadians, exploring various examples and the cultural significance of these inventions. Participants share insights on both well-known and lesser-known Canadian contributions to technology and culture, including food items and historical trivia.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Debate/contested
  • Meta-discussion

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants highlight inventions such as basketball, the zipper, and the walkie-talkie as notable Canadian contributions.
  • There is mention of the Avro Arrow as a significant Canadian aircraft, with discussions about its historical context and implications.
  • Participants express personal preferences regarding Canadian food items, such as poutine and Canadian bacon, with mixed opinions on their appeal.
  • One participant introduces the concept of the "Hoser" term, providing historical context about its origin during the Great Depression.
  • A participant discusses the Magnetic Cell Separation Unit, describing its application in stem cell research and potential medical uses.
  • Several humorous exchanges occur regarding Canadian celebrities and cultural references, including Celine Dion and Shania Twain.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express a variety of opinions on the significance and appeal of different Canadian inventions and cultural icons. There is no clear consensus on which inventions are the most noteworthy or on the merits of certain food items, indicating a mix of agreement and disagreement throughout the discussion.

Contextual Notes

Some claims about inventions and their origins are presented without verification, and the discussion includes personal anecdotes and humor that may not reflect broader consensus or factual accuracy.

Who May Find This Useful

Readers interested in Canadian inventions, cultural trivia, and the historical context of various technologies may find this discussion engaging.

quantumcarl
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In the interest of bolstering the image of the average Canadian I'm just posting this link to a 4 page list of Canadian Inventions which include Basketball, the Zipper (whew ),Walkie Talkie and Anti-Gravity Suit:eek: . Thank you and let's share a beer sometime!

http://inventors.about.com/library/weekly/aa090100a.htm

(PS. Not astonishingly these items are included as well:

Snowblower ...invented by Arthur Sicard in 1925
Snowmobile ...invented by Joseph-Armand Bombardier in 1922)
 
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Physics news on Phys.org
This reminds me of in the what was it thread:
Ivan Seeking said:
It is the most successful Canadian invention of its kind and is known world-wide.
Mk said:
The circle-shaped bacon? Maple syrup? The tree?

The dildo? All were pretty successful.
 
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I hate Canadian bacon
 
I hate maple syrup.

but bless the man who made circle bacon.
 
there's some good stuff on www.science.ca. one thing that caught my eye was the wind tunnel designed for buildings (skyscrapers, bridges, etc) to see how wind affects them.
 
fourier jr said:
there's some good stuff on www.science.ca. one thing that caught my eye was the wind tunnel designed for buildings (skyscrapers, bridges, etc) to see how wind affects them.

Heh, that tunnel you're referring to happens to be at my school. (I read the article on that site)

My favourite Canadian invention? Poutine.
 
The Avro Arrow, naturally

http://www.ronhume.com/images/arrow2.jpg

(Look at all the suits in that photo, not one guy there not in a suit, impressive)
 
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That guy to the far left a little bit above the left wing isn't wearing a suit.
 
Its a tan colored suit, this was back in the era of tacky colors. You can see his white collar shirt poking through and make out a little line that's his tie.
 
  • #10
cyrusabdollahi said:
The Avro Arrow, naturally

Yah. That one got taken away for "security" reasons. Nice though! Beats the crap out of the 50 year old Sea King Helecopters... and those leaking British Subs of today's CAF.

Circle bacon, yah, I guess.

One thing missing is the derogatory term "Hoser". That was invented in the depression, 1930, when the prairie farmers lost their tractor fuel to hobos who were fortunate enough to own or steal a vehicle. The hobos would use a hose to syphon fuel out of the barrels that were placed strategically at every hectacre of a farmer's crops. Thus the farmers cleverly nic-named them Hosers. Today, every Canadian is called a Hoser at one time or another, eh.

Concerning breakfasts... I live for the American Breakfast, at the "coming of the dawning of the glory of the light".

http://www.fabuloustravel.com/gourmet/travel/brkfast/baconeggs.jpg

There is also a substancial rumour that the "Happy Birthday (to you)" song was written by two women in Alberta (Canada's Oil Patch) in 1929. Think of the royalties (if only) ladies!
 
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  • #11
quantumcarl said:
One thing missing is the derogatory term "Hoser". That was invented in the depression, 1930, when the prairie farmers lost their tractor fuel to hobos who were fortunate enough to own or steal a vehicle. The hobos would use a hose to syphon fuel out of the barrels that were placed strategically at every hectacre of a farmer's crops. Thus the farmers cleverly nic-named them Hosers. Today, every Canadian is called a Hoser at one time or another, eh.
This is a precious bit of trivia I'd never heard. Now I understand what Bob and Doug McKenzie were calling each other.
 
  • #12
no matter how great a Canadian invention, it can't make up for...THIS!:eek:
 
  • #13
yomamma said:
no matter how great a Canadian invention, it can't make up for...THIS!:eek:
...unless you consider http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pamela_anderson" :-p
 
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  • #14
ha! it says Canadian-american :approve:
 
  • #15
Very true, the fake parts are american.
 
  • #16
my point still stands
 
  • #17
yomamma said:
my point still stands
I'm sure it does! :wink:
 
  • #18
Yeah, I'm sorry about Celine DeJour.
But ,then, I didn't pay her to sing the American Anthem at the SuperBowl 2002. In fact, I wouldn't ever have heard her sing if it wasn't for that and Vegas making a big deal out of her.

Shania Twain's one I think's ok... she's got a good American name (Mark Twain). She did the Canadian Juno Awards (like the US's Grammies) where she cleaned up but good. Her coolest thing was that she had about 15 dresses designed to mimic every hockey jersey in the CHL. They were sequened and so on... really cool. She changed dresses between presentations like she was a real performer or something, eh?

But, let's not go there where the CDN bands are. Unless you want to get into RUSH... no, not Lombard.

I can tell you this since CDN troops and diplomats are getting suicide bombers targeting them in Afganistan anyway... we had techies in Iraq for the initial push. Techies and specialists... that's all I'm saying. So, when you see images of Prime Minister Poutine (joke) railing against assisting the US in Iraq, its "horse hockey".

Something that may not have made it into the list of inventions is the Magnetic Cell Separation Unit. It was originally used to separate samples of ore from other material. My good friend in stemcell research came up with the idea and it stuck. It uses a magnetic colloidal technique by adhereing anti-bodies laced with iron to the target cell. The magnet pulls the tagged cell out of the blood. It has potential for separating HIV-AIDS from the blood as well as many, many other malfunctioning eurythrocytes that will attract antibodies.

Here's the technical info:
http://www.stemcell.com/technical/stemsep03.pdf

Here's the home page
http://www.stemcell.com
 
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