When we think of the world’s great inventors, people like Da Vinci, Edison, and Tesla come to mind. But contrary to what some may believe, innovation is everywhere ā ā like right here in Quebec.
So many things that we come across in our day-to-day lives got their origins in la belle province.
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Here’s a list of 10 things you may not have known were invented in Quebec.
Hockey
@Val_Plante/Twitter
Where: Montreal
Trivial Pursuit
Shutterstock
After being inspired by the success of Scrabble, Chris Haney, the then-photo editor at the Montreal Gazette, got together with a fellow journalist and thought up this beloved Hasbro game.
When: 1979
Where: Montreal
Plexiglass
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We’ve been seeing this material just about everywhere these days. But did you know that it was first constructed in a McGill University laboratory?
When: 1931
Where: Montreal
Telephone Handset
Library and Archives Canada
Before watchmaker Cyrille Duquet was around, you needed two hands to operate a telephone, one for the speaker and one for the microphone. Duquette didn’t stop after this breakthrough, though, as he eventually developed one of the world’s first telephone lines. It ran from his store to a nearby university.
When: 1878
Where: Quebec City
Poutine
La Belle et La Boeuf/La Poutine Week
Ok, this one’s pretty obvious. Still worth bragging about, though.
The legend goes that restaurateur Fernand Lachance first combined the curds, fries, and gravy at the request of a customer. Lachance’s combination quickly gained popularity throughout the province, and the rest is history.
When: 1950s
Where: First popularized in Warwick, near Victoriaville
Peanut Butter
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Although many have been credited with inventing this delicious recipe, the earliest known creator was Montreal chemist and pharmacist Marcellus Gilmore Edson, who patented his peanut paste recipe before anyone else.
When: 1884
Where: Montreal
Child safe medicine caps
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Dr. Henri Breault came up with the Palm N’ Turn technology found on medicine bottles after opening the Poison Control Center at HĆ“tel-Dieu Hospital. His invention saved countless lives. As a result, Dr. Breault was inducted into the Canadian Medical Hall of Fame in 1997
When: 1967
Where: Montreal
IMAX
Shutterstock
At Expo 67, three films by Canadian directors were displayed on giant movie theatre screens, leading to the creation of the IMAX projection. This technology is now used in theatres around the world.
When: 1967
Where: Montreal
Snowshoes
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Archaeological evidence suggests that snowshoes were first constructed and used by the indigenous peoples of Quebec over 4,000 years ago. Snowshoeing has become a traditional Canadian pastime since the mid-1800s.
When: Between 4,000 and 6,000 years ago
Where: Rural Quebec
Epilepsy Treatment
ScienceDirect
Dr. Wilder Penfield revolutionized neurology as we know it when he pioneered the “Montreal Procedure” with epilepsy patients. Along with his revolutionary treatment that destroyed the cells where seizures originated, Penfield also progressed the study of neuroscience as a whole
When: 1930
Where: Montreal
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