Browse "Science & Technology"

Sir Charles Seymour Wright, physicist (b at Toronto 7 Apr 1887; d at Victoria 1 Nov 1975). He attended Upper Canada College and U of T, and won a scholarship for postgraduate study in physics at Cambridge.

Sir Charles-Eugène Boucher de Boucherville, doctor, politician, premier of Québec 1874-78 and 1891-92 (b at Montréal 4 May 1822; d there 10 Sept 1915). A Conservative member of the Assembly of the Province of Canada, he was appointed to the Québec Legislative Council in 1867.

Sir Daniel Wilson, scientist, author, educator (b at Edinburgh, Scot 5 Jan 1816; d at Toronto 6 Aug 1892). Wilson was a man of many talents.

Sir Edward Sabine, soldier, scientist (b at Dublin, Ire 14 Oct 1788; d at Richmond, Eng 26 June 1883). He fought along the St Lawrence River in Upper and Lower Canada in 1813-14, and then, within the army, went on to a distinguished career in science.

Sir Francis Drake, one of history's great seamen and adventurers (b near Tavistock, Eng 1540?; d off Panama 28 Jan 1596). He likely sighted VANCOUVER ISLAND on his voyage around the world (1577-80).

Sir Frederick Grant Banting, KBE, MC, FRS, FRSC, co-discoverer of insulin, medical scientist, painter (born 14 November 1891 in Alliston, ON; died 21 February 1941 near Musgrave Harbour, Newfoundland). Banting is best known as one of the scientists who discovered insulin in 1922. After this breakthrough, he became Canada’s first professor of medical research at the University of Toronto. Banting was also an accomplished amateur painter. As an artist, he had links to A.Y. Jackson and the Group of Seven.

Sir Frederick William Borden, physician, merchant, politician (b at Upper Canard, NS 14 May 1847; d at Canning, NS 6 Jan 1917). As minister of militia and defence 1896-1911, he reorganized the Canadian Militia. Borden represented King's County as a Liberal 1874-1911, except for 1882-87.

Sir George Strong Nares, naval officer, Arctic explorer (born 1831 at Clytha, Wales; died 15 January 1915 at Kingston upon Thames, England).

Sir James Alexander Grant, physician, politician (b at Inverness, Scot 11 Aug 1831; d at Ottawa 5 Feb 1920). A graduate of Queen's and McGill, he practised medicine for all of his professional life in Ottawa. He was personal physician to the first 8 governors general (1867-1905).

Sir John Cunningham McLennan, KBE, FRS, FRSC, physicist (born 14 April 1867 in Ingersoll, ON; died 9 October 1935 in Paris, France).

Sir John Kennedy, civil engineer, harbour authority (b at Spencerville, UC 26 Sept 1838; d at Montréal 25 Oct 1921). Educated at McGill, he first worked under Thomas KEEFER on the St Lawrence Ship Channel below Montréal.

Sir Robert Frederic Stupart, meteorologist (b at Aurora, Canada W 24 Oct 1857; d at Toronto 27 Sept 1940). A pioneer in METEOROLOGY, Stupart's career spanned 6 decades.

Sir Sandford Fleming, civil engineer (b at Kirkcaldy, Scot 7 Jan 1827; d at Halifax 22 July 1915).

Sir Thomas George Roddick, surgeon, medical administrator, politician (b at Harbour Grace, Nfld 31 July 1846; d at Montréal 20 Feb 1923). A McGill medical graduate, he introduced Joseph Lister's antiseptic system to Montréal in 1877, a system that greatly reduced infections after surgery.

Sir Wilfred Thomason Grenfell, medical missionary (b at Parkgate, Eng 28 Feb 1865; d at Charlotte, Vt 9 Oct 1940). Grenfell entered the London Medical School in 1883 and 2 years later was converted to active CHRISTIANITY at a tent meeting of American evangelist Dwight L. Moody.

By the turn of the century, Osler was probably the best-known physician in the English-speaking world.

Stanley John Hughes, mycologist (b at Llanelly, Wales 17 Sept 1918). A naturalized Canadian, Hughes worked as an assistant mycologist at the Commonwealth Mycological Institute in Kew, England (1945-52), and in 1952 joined Agriculture Canada in Ottawa as a research scientist.

Stanley Vollant, CQ, Innu surgeon, professor and lecturer (born 2 April 1965 in Quebec City, Quebec). Vollant is the first Indigenous surgeon trained in Quebec. In 1996, he received a National Aboriginal Role Model Award from the Governor General of Canada. Vollant began Innu Meshkenu in 2010, a 6,000 km walk to promote the teachings of First Nations and to encourage Indigenous young people to pursue their dreams. In 2016, he founded the non-profit organization Puamun Meshkenu to inspire and support Indigenous peoples in their mental and physical health.

Stephen Lett, psychiatrist (b at Callan, Ire 4 Apr 1847; d at Kingston, Ont Oct 1905). Having served as assistant medical superintendent of the insane asylums in Malden and London, Ont, 1870-77, he lost out to R.M. BUCKE for the post of London's medical superintendent.

Steven Glenwood MacLean, FRCGS, physicist, astronaut (born 14 December 1954 in Ottawa, ON). Steve MacLean was among the first astronauts recruited in Canada and in 1992 became the third Canadian to fly in space. On his second mission to space (2006), he became the first Canadian to operate the Canadarm2 robotic arm and the second to complete a spacewalk, after Chris Hadfield. He has also contributed to the country’s space programs as director general of the Canadian Astronaut Program (1994–96) and president of the Canadian Space Agency (2008–13).