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!
Walkie Talkies, Electric Wheelchairs, and Marquis Wheat
Have you ever played on a walkie talkie? It’s fun
pretending to know all of the code words—alpha, bravo…er, you get the gist. I
was kind of obsessed with them when I was younger, sometimes communicating with
my grandpa while he was out in the canola field. Roger that!
Well, walkie talkies were invented by Alfred J. Gross,
a Canadian from Toronto, Ontario who was obsessed with radio from a young age.
By 1938, his handheld radio transmitter-receiver invention had attracted the
interest of the U.S. army, which was investing in military tech during the
buildup to World War II. His invention was soon further developed and it changed
communication forever!
That’s not the only “W” invention, either. In 1952, engineer
George Klein made the world more accessible with a motorized wheelchair.
And finally, Marquis Wheat was the result of work
completed by Charles E. Saunders, who used traditional plant breeding
techniques to develop a disease and pest resistant wheat variety with a long
history.
It’s been shown that almost every wheat variety produced in Canada
over the past 100 years traces back to Marquis. Impressive, right? Here’s an interesting story about it.
You all know that my grandpa is a canola farmer, but he regularly grows wheat as part of his crop
rotation, which is good for soil conservation. It’s not as pretty as canola, I
guess, but it is a staple crop.
Gotta jet! We’re almost at the end now. See you tomorrow for
an extra eXtraordinary post.
~ Chase Superman Duffy
Lovely article. I watched my kids play with the walki talkies and they looked like real security agencies.
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