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  #1  
Old 09-07-2005, 06:59 AM
Bipa
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Canadian, eh?

Thought it might be fun for us Canadians to show off a little. I'll try to post something here from time to time about Canadian innovations/inventions and inventors, or even just interesting trivia. Feel free to join in.

The Real McCoy

Elijah McCoy (1843 or 1844-1929) was a mechanical engineer and inventor. McCoy's high-quality industrial inventions (especially his steam engine lubricator) were the basis for the expression "the real McCoy," meaning the real, authentic, or high-quality thing.
McCoy was born in Colchester, Ontario, Canada, to former slaves (George and Emillia McCoy), who had fled the USA. McCoy was educated as a mechanical engineer in Edinburgh, Scotland; he then moved to Detroit, Michigan, USA. Despite his education (and due to racism - he was of African descent), he could only get a job as a fireman and oilman on a steam-engine train, shoveling coal into a train's engine and periodically lubricating the engine.

McCoy's first invention (1872) was a revolutionary way of lubricating steam engines without having to shut them down - this automatic lubricator saved an enormous amount of time and effort in transportation and in industrial production. McCoy eventually had a total of 57 patents, and was known throughout the world for his inventions. In 1920, McCoy opened his own company, the Elijah McCoy Manufacturing Company.


Electric Car Heater

Canadian Thomas Ahearn invented the first electric car heater in 1890. Ahearn warmed the cars by running electrically-heated water under the floors.
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  #2  
Old 09-19-2005, 12:59 AM
Bipa
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September 18, 2005

Stem cell docs win top award
U.S. prize shocks winners -- research done in 1960s
By SHARON LEM, TORONTO SUN

Two Canadians considered the "fathers of stem cell research" have been awarded America's most prestigious award for medical research -- often a precursor to the Nobel Prize.

Drs. James Till, 74, and Ernest McCulloch, 79, both emeritus professors at the University of Toronto/Ontario Cancer Institute, will receive this year's Lasker Award for basic medical research for their groundbreaking work in the 1960s.

"WHY NOW?"

"It's a great honour, but we're more surprised than excited because it's been so long and we've wondered, 'Why now?' " said Till, a professor emeritus of medical biophysics.

"I hope it will give a boost to stem cell research and attract more talent into the field. All you can do is do the best work you can and hope that it will make a difference to stimulate stem cell research."

The Lasker Awards are America's most distinguished honour for outstanding contributions to basic and clinical medical research. Seventy of the 90 Lasker Award winners have received the Nobel Prize, including 19 in the last 15 years.

Till and McCulloch's ingenious experiments identified the first stem cell. Their work laid the foundation for all current work on adult and embryonic stem cells and transformed the study of blood-cell specialization, leading to breakthroughs in human bone marrow transplantation.

Till and McCulloch were the first to realize that when marrow cells were given to animals who underwent radiation, lumps began to grow and regenerate in the spleen.

INSPIRATION

Without their discovery, stem cell biology and bone marrow transplantation might still be in the dark ages. Until their discovery, the field hadn't progressed for 60 years -- their findings gave scientists inspiration to continue.

The award will be presented in New York City on Friday.
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  #3  
Old 09-19-2005, 11:39 AM
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Noir Noir is offline
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I'd like to add something.



Shania Twain's hawt! Thank you Canada!
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  #4  
Old 09-20-2005, 08:00 PM
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one prob maybe

The only thing is that you guys can only show off to other canadians unless some one like me gets bored with my region and wanders on over. Hope its ok to wander like this and post in other regions sections.
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Old 09-20-2005, 08:16 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Bipa
Electric Car Heater

Canadian Thomas Ahearn invented the first electric car heater in 1890. Ahearn warmed the cars by running electrically-heated water under the floors.
I didn't realize cars had enough mojo to go-go and generate enough electricity to provide heat at the same time at that early date. Wouldn't it have been simpler to pipe the exhaust through a cast iron heat exchanger? They didn't have electric lights (acetylene lamps were high tech then) and the electric starter didn't show up until the 1912 Cadillac. I wonder why they chose electricity when there was no other use for it on a car then?
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  #6  
Old 09-22-2005, 08:38 AM
Bipa
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Quote:
Originally Posted by spinn360
The only thing is that you guys can only show off to other canadians unless some one like me gets bored with my region and wanders on over. Hope its ok to wander like this and post in other regions sections.
Naw.... there's no limit as to which forum a person can/should read and post in. I've posted all over the place
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Old 09-22-2005, 09:11 AM
Bipa
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Originally Posted by Beav
I didn't realize cars had enough mojo to go-go and generate enough electricity to provide heat at the same time at that early date. Wouldn't it have been simpler to pipe the exhaust through a cast iron heat exchanger? They didn't have electric lights (acetylene lamps were high tech then) and the electric starter didn't show up until the 1912 Cadillac. I wonder why they chose electricity when there was no other use for it on a car then?
END QUOTE

The first electric head and tail lamps were introduced on the 1898 Columbia Electric Car.

a Columbia Mark LX (1904) electric runabout was made by the Electric Vehicle Company of Hartford, Connecticut. That company had its roots in the Electric Carriage and Wagon Company and the Pope Motor Carriage Company, part of the Pope Manufacturing Company, a successful bicycle manufacturer. Pope, like a number of other bicycle manufacturers, got into the car business in the late 1890s.



Err.... hmmm.... quick history overview of electric cars:

A brief history of electric cars
Story and photo by Bill Vance
Read whole article: http://www.canadiandriver.com/articles/bv/electric.htm

Self-contained electric vehicles (powered by on-board batteries, not overhead wires) ran as early as the 1830s. Thomas Davenport, a Brandon, Vermont blacksmith, built and operated a small electric vehicle in about 1834. In 1839 Scotsman Robert Davidson built an electric locomotive and operated it successfully, before it was destroyed by Luddite steam locomotive engineers.

The emergence of the automobile at the turn of the century saw three power sources vying for supremacy: the external combustion steam engine; the battery powered electric motor; and the internal combustion gasoline engine. Steam, with the longest history, held some 40 percent of the U.S. car market in 1900.

Electricity, however, had a very promising position with sales almost equal to steam's, dominated by the Columbia car out of Hartford, Connecticut. Others included the Indianapolis-built Waverley. Gasoline held the remaining 20 percent.

The three were quite different. Steamers were powerful and fast, but needed time to generate steam, and required a skilled operator. Gasoline engines were still cranky, temperamental and noisy. The electric, however, was silent and simple to drive, making it a particular favourite with women.

Automobile type electrics had arrived at about the same time as gasoline powered cars. Philip Pratt of Boston demonstrated an electrically powered three-wheel carriage in 1888.

Canada came quite early to the electric scene; its first electric automobile was constructed in Toronto in 1893 for patent attorney Frederick Featherstonhaugh. Designed by transplanted English electrician William Still, and built by carriage maker John Dixon, it was displayed at Toronto's Canadian National Exhibition in 1893, and was used for many years by Mr. Featherstonhaugh as his personal transportation.

Electrics distinguished themselves in early speed contests. In a French hillclimb in 1898 an electric entered by Belgian, Camille Jenatzy averaged 18 mph (29 km/h), beating 56 gasoline and steam cars over the 1.8 km (1.1 mile) route.

This led to fierce competition between Jenatzy and another electric car driver, Count de Chasseloup-Laubat of France. It resulted in an electric car setting the world's first land speed record, established by Chasseloup-Laubat's Jeantaud electric at 39.3 mph (63.3 km/h) on December 18, 1898.

Jenatzy and Chasseloup-Laubat met in a challenge race on January 17, 1899. Jenatzy achieved a speed of 41.4 mph (66.6 km/h), briefly setting a new record, until Chasseloup-Laubat upped it to 43.7 (70.4). Jenatzy and Chasseloup-Laubat traded the record back and forth until Jenatzy's bullet-shaped electric finally triumphed with a mark of 65.8 mph (106 km/h) in Nice, France on March 29, 1899. It was the first car to cover a mile in under one minute....
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