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Top Ten Inventions of the 1950s and 60s
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Garbage Bag
The garbage bag was created by Harry Wasylyk of Winnipeg, Manitoba and Larry Hansen of Lindsay, Ontario. The green polyethylene bags were originally created for commercial use only until Union Carbide Company, bought the invention from Harry Wasylyk and sold it for home use in the late 1960's. Today, garbage bags can be found all over the world and provide an efficient way to collect and transport household waste. -
Colour Television
In 1950 colour television was introduced to the public and was commercially available. CBS, the American television broadcast company was essential in producing and perfecting colour TV. Although colour TV was invented in 1953, the technology was not used until January 1,1954 when an American new years celebration program was aired. Today, coloured televisions can be found in almost every home. They have grown to become a necessity rather than a luxury. -
Transistor Radio
The transistor radio was invented by two American companies working together. These companies were Texas Instruments and Industrial Development Engineering Associates. The radio was the first product to allow the users to listen to music wherever they went. The Regency TR-1, which was the first model made, sold 150,000 units. The transistor radio was crucial to a number of later advancements made in the communications field. -
Avro Arrow
James Charles Floyd is a Canadian inventor and the designer of the Avro Arrow. He was one of many Canadians who worked for Avro Canada. Introduced on October 4, 1957, the Avro Arrow was a delta-winged aircraft. Its purpose was to intercept and get rid of any hostile aircrafts. At the time, the Avro Arrow was the most advanced plane available. -
Satellite
The worlds first satellite was made by the Soviet Union, it was named Sputnik 1. It weighed 183 pounds and it was launched on October 4, 1957, it took 98 minute to completely orbit the earth. The success of this launch started a competition between nations. After this project the United States and other countries started to put more money and focus on their space programs. -
Alkaline Battery
The alkaline battery was invented by Canadian engineer Lewis Urry. The battery works because of a small chemical reaction with zinc (Zn) and manganese dioxide (MnO2). Alkaline batteries are disposable batteries that have a steady voltage offering better energy density and leakage resistance than carbon zinc batteries. -
Heart Pacemaker
The inventor of the first heart pacemaker is Canadian, John Hopps. he was an electrical engineer at the University of Manitoba and later became a member of the national research council. This is where he studied hypothermia and the slowing of the heart under extreme conditions. While doing research he made an unexpected discovery. He found that if a heart stopped beating because of the cold it could be restarted by artificial stimulation. -
Goalie Mask
On November 1, 1959 a goaltender playing for Montreal Canadians named Jacques Plante was hit in the faces by a puck. He later returned to the ice with stitches and a mask he had made out of fibreglass. In today's hockey games, it is mandatory that all goalies wear a mask. -
Instant replay
Used in solving disputes over bad calls in professional sports, Instant replay is an essential part in sports today, allowing referees to make the correct call. On December 7, 1963 Tony Verna a CBS Sports director altered a regular film machine in order for it to play video in slow motion. This new technology was first used in an American college football game. -
The Artificial Hand
Prosthesis is an artificial gadget that replaces a missing body part, which may be lost through trauma, disease, or congenital conditions. The first electric prosthetic hand was developed in 1969 by, Canadian, Helmut Lucas. The artificial hand provides amputees with a way to regain the ability to use libs they may have lost.
