Ingenious
How Canadian Innovators Made the World Smarter, Smaller, Kinder, Safer, Healthier, Wealthier, and Happier
- Publisher
- McClelland & Stewart
- Initial publish date
- Mar 2017
- Category
- General, History, Inventions
-
Hardback
- ISBN
- 9780771050916
- Publish Date
- Mar 2017
- List Price
- $40.00
Classroom Resources
Where to buy it
Description
To celebrate Canada's 150th birthday, Governor General David Johnston and Tom Jenkins have crafted a richly illustrated volume of brilliant Canadian innovations whose widespread adoption has made the world a better place. From Bovril to BlackBerrys, lightbulbs to liquid helium, peanut butter to Pablum, this is a surprising and incredibly varied collection to make Canadians proud, and to our unique entrepreneurial spirit.
Successful innovation is always inspired by at least one of three forces -- insight, necessity, and simple luck. Ingenious moves through history to explore what circumstances, incidents, coincidences, and collaborations motivated each great Canadian idea, and what twist of fate then brought that idea into public acceptance. Above all, the book explores what goes on in the mind of an innovator, and maps the incredible spectrum of personalities that have struggled to improve the lot of their neighbours, their fellow citizens, and their species.
From the marvels of aboriginal invention such as the canoe, snowshoe, igloo, dogsled, lifejacket, and bunk bed to the latest pioneering advances in medicine, education, philanthropy, science, engineering, community development, business, the arts, and the media, Canadians have improvised and collaborated their way to international admiration. Ingenious tells you why they did it and how they made the world a better place.
About the authors
Tom Jenkins has been affiliated with the Royal Canadian Air Force for more than fifty years. He began his career with the RCAF as a royal Canadian air cadet at CFB Trenton in 1972. He became a squadron warrant officer with the Air Cadets at CFRB Hamilton and later joined the reserves, first as a corporal and then as an officer; he received his commission in 1977 and served at CFB Cold Lake. He has been the honorary colonel of 409 Squadron at CFB Cold Lake and the honorary colonel of the Royal Highland Fusiliers of Canada (RHFC) in Cambridge, Ontario. He has chaired a report on defence procurement for the Canadian government and is currently a member of the RCAF Commanders Advisory Council.
