INNOVATION IN ONTARIO
Did you know that an Ontarian invented the very first space suit? Or that millions of people around the world lead healthy, productive lives thanks to Ontario scientists who developed the first heart pacemaker and discovered life-saving insulin? Ontario today is building on a long heritage of innovative discovery, from the world’s first electron microscope 100 years ago to the modern Blackberry, invented in Waterloo. That tradition of world-class innovation continues with a growing body of top scientists, researchers and inventors who are discovering solutions to some of the world’s greatest challenges. To find out more about Ontario’s innovative past, just click on the photos in our interactive Time Cloud and follow Ontario’s road to discovery.
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- 1874 – Alexander Graham Bell Invents the Telephone
Eureka! Alexander Graham Bell comes up with the idea for the telephone in Brantford, Ontario, and first demonstrates it in Boston the following year.
- 1920s – Insulin Discovered in Toronto
Over 200 million diabetics worldwide can count on insulin for survival thanks to the discovery of insulin by Banting and Best at the University of Toronto.
- 1930s – 1940s - First Female Aeronautical Engineer in North America
“Queen of the Hurricanes,” Elsie MacGill leads fighter plane production during World War II, designing the Maple Leaf Trainer aircraft and the Hawker Hurricane Fighter.
- 1938 – Helping Us See the Smallest Things
Eli Burton and his research team at the University of Toronto build the first practical electron microscope, giving scientists a new tool for 7000x magnification.
- 1940 – The World’s First Anti-Gravity Suit
Today’s space suits got their start with the anti-gravity flight suit developed by University of Toronto physicist Wilbur Franks to protect air force pilots.
- 1950 - Cardiac Pacemaker Saves Thousands of Lives
The first pacemaker is developed by electrical engineer Dr. John A. Hopps, using heart research from the Banting and Best Institute in Toronto.
- 1961 – Stem Cells Discovered at the Ontario Cancer Institute
Ernest McCulloch and James Till were looking at the effect of radiation on cells when they discovered stem cells, one of the biggest breakthroughs in modern medical research.
- 1971 – IMAX Reinvents the Movies
Four life-long friends from Galt, Ontario, joined forces to revolutionize the international motion picture experience with IMAX, the giant screen and 3D system that is now an industry standard.
- 1981 – The Canadarm is a Space Shuttle Star
The huge robot arm built by Spar Aerospace is one of Canada’s greatest engineering achievements and is still performing delicate tasks in space.
- 1984 – The Location of the T-Cell Receptor is Discovered
University of Toronto medical researcher Dr. Tak Mak locates the human body’s T-cell receptor, helping many other researchers with new cures and treatments.
- 1999 – The Blackberry Transforms Mobile Communication
Mike Lazaridis and Jim Balsillie at Research in Motion in Waterloo, Ontario, invent the mobile e-mail device that has revolutionized the way people do business and go about their everyday lives.
- 2001-02 - The Mystery of Missing Solar Neutrinos is Solved in Sudbury
Deep underground in the Sudbury Neutrino Observatory, a major breakthrough is achieved when heavy water is used to detect solar neutrinos, revolutionizing our understanding of neutrinos, dark matter, and the sun’s core.
- 2003 – DNA Barcoding is Developed in Guelph
University of Guelph researcher, Paul Hebert, invents species identification through DNA barcoding – a more accurate method for identifying known species and discovering new ones.
- 2004 – A Revolutionary Solar Solution is Born in Toronto
University of Toronto researcher Ted Sargent develops an infrared-sensitive solution that can transform almost any surface into a solar cell and potentially double solar energy capture.
- 2008 – Dextre Gives a Helping "Hand" to the International Space Station
Strong and nimble, Dextre, a two-armed robot designed by MDA in Brampton, Ontario, helps complete complicated tasks previously only performed by astronauts on space walks.
