Saturday 8 April 2017

G is for Goalie Masks, Garbage Bags, and Green Currency Ink

In celebration of Canada’s 150th birthday, my theme for the 2017 Blogging From A to Z Challenge, is CANADA. 

Join me throughout April (every day except Sundays) to learn more about the inventions, the people, and the cultures that make up one of the greatest countries in the world!


Goalie Masks, Garbage Bags, and Green Currency Ink

Canadians are responsible for some pretty eclectic “G” inventions. For example, did you know that the green ink that’s used to print American money was actually invented in Canada back in 1862 by a man named Thomas Sterry Hunt?

Or how about the fact that green garbage bags—the kind you may have in your house! —was invented by a man from Winnipeg, Manitoba named Harry Wasylyk? Harry and his friend Larry Hansen of Lindsay, Ontario made the bags for commercial use. In fact, the first ones were sold to the Winnipeg General Hospital.

But later—sometimes in the 1960s—the Union Carbide Company bought the invention from Harry and Larry, and produced the green bags for home use. If your house is anything like mine, you have a few boxes of those “Glad Garbage Bags” just waiting to be used!

Green currency ink and garbage bags are great, but the best “G” invention, in my opinion, is the hockey goalie mask, invented by Montreal Canadiens goalie, Jacques Plante. 

It’s true the original mask looks a bit like something out of a scary movie, but it did the trick. Jacques was tired of getting hit in the face with pucks or sticks, and so he created the safety mask himself, making them by hand for a few of his friends until they became mandatory. Today, all goalies wear masks…and they look far less creepy than the original!

Whew! We made it through the first week of the A to Z Blogging Challenge. Remember, we break tomorrow, but I’ll be back Monday with the letter “H” (you can probably guess that one). In the meantime, feel free to take a look at my archived posts, and check out some of the other blogs in the challenge!

Gotta jet! Have a great weekend.

~ Chase Superman Duffy

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