Oh, Canada, we stand on guard for thee. July 1 is Canada Day, a Canadian national holiday marking the birthday of Canada, which just turned 152 years old. Canada is not only a wonderful vacation spot famous for the country’s kindness and hockey fanatics — it also happens to have given America a lot of creations. Here are the top seven creations Canada blessed Americans with:
Peanut Butter
Though some believe peanut butter was invented by American botanist George Washington Carver, it was actually created in 1884 by Canadian chemist Marcellus Gilmore Edson. Edson knew the consistency of ointment from being a pharmacist, and he tried to base the consistency of peanut butter to be similar to it. He also created peanut butter as a food option for people who couldn’t chew. Thanks to Edson, Americans can now enjoy peanut butter all the time.
Walkie-Talkie
A Canadian inventor is credited for creating the walkie-talkie, specifically invented to be a cordless communication device for soldiers to use during World War II. Donald L. Hings and radio engineer Alfred J. Gross teamed up with the engineering teams at Motorola and created the device. Though the walkie-talkie was used for serious events, it was later modernized and turned into a toy for kids to use within a close radius to the other walkie-talkie.
Hockey, obviously
There is some debate about whether or not Canada truly did invent hockey, even though it’s known as “Canada’s game.” Some people argue that hockey came from Windsor or Nova Scotia, but, in fact, the first organized hockey game took place in Montreal, Quebec, in 1875. No matter who tries to claim hockey, it’ll always be contended by Canadians who claim hockey is theirs.
Basketball
The beloved, so-called American sport was invented by James Naismith, a Canadian man, though he didn’t invent basketball while in Canada. He actually invented the sport while working as a physical education instructor at a Massachusetts YMCA in 1891. After moving to Kansas, he became the University of Kansas’ first basketball coach. Though he did not invent the sport while in Canada, he is still Canadian. Canada produced him, and he produced basketball, meaning Canada is responsible for the creation of basketball. Good logic, eh?
IMAX movies
If you’ve seen a movie in IMAX theaters lately, you have Canada to thank. IMAX movies are Canada’s brainchild, created by four Canadian filmmakers. After the group was independently asked to create large-screen films, they realized they needed much different equipment. The trio got financial backing from Fuji and created a Multiscreen Corporation to produce the film. After recruiting an engineer to help them create the cameras needed to shoot the film in image maximum, IMAX for short, they created the first ever IMAX movie, Tiger Child.
Celebrities
Canada has also blessed America with some of the most beautiful, talented and hilarious celebrities. This includes musicians Drake, Justin Bieber and Michael Buble; actors Jim Carrey, Ryan Gosling and Ryan Reynolds; and actor/wrestler Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. Here’s a list of some celebrities you may not know are from Canada.
A beautiful vacation destination
Canada has given Americans many things, but by far the best is the gift of vacation. Canada is a beautiful place to vacation, with nature locations like Niagara Falls, Capilano Suspension Bridge Park and Grouse Mountain, and cities like Quebec, Vancouver, Toronto and Montreal. Canada has so much to offer, so it’s a great place to spend time and a vacation with friends or family.
