Things to be proud of!

[Will03]

Hey guys, we all have different things from our countries to be proud of, so lets hear them!

What are the best inventions to come out of your country?!

I'll start off with Canada (probably because I'm from here! lol)

A few of my favorite Canadian inventions

-Insulin for diabetics
-The Telephone
-Robertson screw
-basketball / lacrosse
-pace maker
-The wonderbra! (bless those French Canadians!)
-the Canada Space arm
-IMAX (not too sure if people outside Canada get these theatres, but if you stop by, check one out. simply amazing)

So lets hear them fellas! (ladies too!)

[Krisidious]

America...

we invented the hippie... long live the hippie

[Krisidious]

I always thought an American invented the Phone... I guess you learn something everyday.

now I really have a reason to be mad at Canada...
I hate phones...

[Krisidious]

I have to disagree with Willo3 the wonder bra was a horrible invention... I claim false advertisement. and I call for a boycott of canadaian wonderbras... that was a joke of course...

[Ross Macintosh]

The sealed thermal window unit was invented close to where I live. So were the folding ironing board, combined hot & cold water faucets, vortex-flushing toilet bowls, karosene, roller bearings, and variable-pitch propellers, and those sardine cans that use a key to open.

[Alan Fraser]

I wouldn't know where to start with British inventions....basically everything major except what was invented by Daimler/Benz or Thomas Edison...including TV (Marconi-EMI)
...and Football, Rugby and Cricket, of course.

[Ross Macintosh]

Alan, clearly the vortex-flushing toilet is more important than tv!

[Krisidious]

much much more important.

[Will03]

So, heres the scoop on the phone:

Mr. Bell, originally Scottish, moved to Canada, developed part of the technology, moved to America (and became a citizen) developed more of the technology, moved back to Canada, and finished the technology making the worlds first phone call.

furthermore, regarding the wonderbra, you will soon see a conglomerate made from Victoria's secret, and LaSenza (LaSenza being the company with the patented bra)

and Alan, if you had to pick say 5 of your favourite British inventions, what would they be?

(mine would probably be the English language, lol)

EDIT

Ross, can the vortex flushing toilet correct that oddity south of the equator, and force the water down the drain in the proper direction? if so, then yes, it is more important than TV lol

[Krisidious]

is that insider info Willo3? does everyone know that? if not I know what stock I'm buying this week...

[Will03]

afraid it's already happened... it was a little while ago, I believe they are in the process of the merge

the insider info you really should be looking for out of Canada, is Lulu Lemon, a yoga based clothing company (exploding here in Canada, crazy popular) They have announced that they will be going public, and if I can get my hands on some o dat stock, I will just retire! lol

Check it out!

[Krisidious]

I might play with that mouse and read those quips all night long... lol

[Alan Fraser]

My favourite 5? The modern flushing toilet...who cares whether it's a vortex or not. The steam engine. Railways. The electric motor. Antibiotics.

BTW. did you know that the first manned, powered, controlled, heavier-than-air flight was in Sheffield in 1848? The only trouble was that it used a steam engine, as the internal combustion engine hadn't been invented, so it's development potential was rather limited.

Here's a few varied and mildly interesting Liverpool World records...mostly achievements rather than inventions.

First Grammar School (1522)
First recorded cargo from America (1648)
First lending library (1758)
First lighthouse to use parabolic reflectors (1763)
First public use of Ether as an anaesthetic (1776)
First US consul...James Maury (1790)
First School for the Blind (1791)
First School for the Deaf (1825)
First public railway...and fatality (1830)
First scheduled transatlantic service (1840)
SPCA, later RSPCA founded (1841)
First Medical Officer of Health (1847)
First Rugby Club (1857)
Received the surrender of the last Confederate ship, CSS Shenandoah (1865)
(Liverpool had built quite a few of them...like the CSS Alabama)
First under-river railway tunnel (1886)
First overhead electric railway (1893)
First automatic telephone exchange (1912)
First lighthouse equipped with radar (1947)
First bank to use a computer (1960)
First police force to use CCTV (1964)

[Daniel]

From the USA:
The skyscraper
The elevator
air conditioning
Rock-n-Roll

last but not least....SketchUp!

[Shaun Tennant]

Canada- Invented Alex Trebek

[Will03]

I was pretty sure hes a cyborg...

[boofredlay]

@shaun tennant said:

Canada- Invented Alex Trebek.

Ohhhh. Let me catch my breath. Hmmm.

Ok.

Another for the USA, DISC GOLF

[John Sayers]

Australia has made it's mark in a few areas.

1. the Ute (1934), known in the US as a pickup.
2. the IVF freeze-thaw method for storing embryos (1983.
3. anti-counterfeiting technology for banknotes (1992).
4. Penicillin (1944)'s antibiotic properties were discovered and developed by Australian Howard Florey.
5. the plastic disposable syringe (1949).
6. ultrasound (1976), pioneered in Australia
7. black box flight recorders (1961)
8. Racecam TV sport coverage (1979).

When I was at boarding school in New Zealand I spend a sunday playing around in the prototype of what became The Hamilton Jet Boat and later the Jet Ski.

[Krisidious]

1. the Ute (1934), known in the US as a pickup.

I knew there was a reason I loved Australia...

[sorgesu]

Ohh, this is right up my alley. I specialized in weird topics for my oral speeches in high school: I did one on the history of the toilet:
the first flush was over 2000 years ago in Crete:

The Brassiere is named after Phillipe de Brassiere but he never patented it and the patent instead went to an engineer named Otto Titzling. (watch how you pronounce that) His marketing managaer was Hans Delving. (never mind)

I did onE on the history of Swearing too, shall I get started?