Breakthrough!

Canadians are behind praiseworthy products, lifesaving medicine, fascinating ideas, and machines with global appeal, often unbeknownst to the rest of the world. We have invented with little fanfare, financing, or expectation. Yet our creations are important. The greatest is insulin: millions use it or die. Then there's the light bulb that illuminates the world.
And we share our creations: Alexander Graham Bell conceived the idea of the telephone in Canada, then sold it in the United States. James Naismith invented basketball and it became a beloved American game. The Canadarm is Canadian, and lifts in outer space. The BlackBerry revolutionized mobile communications. Some of our inventions are small: the paint roller, the Robertson screwdriver, and the crash position indicator - the forerunner of the black box on planes. Others are larger: the jetliner, the snowblower, the snowmobile. The pacemaker saves hearts and the goalie mask saves faces.
We came up with Standard Time, Marquis wheat, and the variable pitch propeller. Put simply, Canadians are supremely innovative and our breakthroughs have transformed the world.

John Melady is a veteran writer on Canadian history and space exploration. His many books include Pearson's Prize, Canadians in Space, Korea, and Heartbreak and Heroism. He lives in Egmondville, Ontario.