Topic spans: 1937 - 1974
Bombardier: The Snowmobile Legacy
Joseph-Armand Bombardier was a shy, determined mechanic who dreamed of building a vehicle that could "float on snow". In 1937 the first snowmobile rolled out of his small repair shop in Valcourt, Que. and a legendary company was born. Over the years, Bombardier continued to perfect his dream and found that winter-bound Canadians were eager to come along for the ride. Bombardier changed the way we travel over snow and he established a Canadian manufacturing giant along the way.
11 television clips
6 radio clips
The tireless inventor
Broadcast Date: June 22, 1967
Born in 1907, Joseph-Armand Bombardier shows a genius for tinkering early in life. He's only 10-years-old when he takes a cigar box and a broken alarm clock and makes a working model of a tractor. As he gets older, Armand dreams of building a vehicle that can glide over snow — a fitting goal for a boy growing up in rural Valcourt, Que. At 15 Armand designs and builds his first snow vehicle which is basically a large sleigh powered by a Ford Model T engine with a wooden airplane propeller at the back.He and his brother drive the noisy contraption through Valcourt before their father orders them to stop. Undeterred, Armand keeps working on his idea while he earns a living as an auto mechanic. His big breakthrough comes in the mid-1930s when he develops a drive system that will revolutionize travel in snow and swamp. In 1937 Armand sells 12 snowmobiles — named the B7 — and opens the company l'Auto-Neige Bombardier Limitée five years later.
The tireless inventor
• Bombardier attended school at a seminary in Sherbrooke, Que. He was expected to enter the priesthood but convinced his parents he would make a better mechanic.•On Aug. 7, 1929 he married Yvonne Labrecque, with whom he had six children.
•The death of his son Yvon in the mid-1930s further motivated J. Armand Bombardier to complete his snowmobile invention. The young boy died of an appendicitis attack when a snowstorm prevented getting him to a hospital.
•Adalbert Landry and Antoine Morisset of Quebec's Gaspé region made a rudimentary snow vehicle in the mid-1920s. They converted an automobile by putting skis in the front and a caterpillar belt over the double rear wheels. In 1924 they travelled nearly 600 kilometres to show off their vehicle at a Montreal automobile show.
The tireless inventor
Medium: Television
Program: Telescope
Broadcast Date: June 22, 1967
Guest(s): John Hitherington, Wes McGill, Len Pirère
Host: Fletcher Markle
Narrator: Jean-Luc Bombardier
Duration: 22:53
Last updated:
Aug. 6, 2004
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17 clips in this topic . page
Television
3:04
July 31, 2000
The Winnipeg-born media mogul announces merger of CanWest Global and Hollinger Inc.
Television
4:39
Although filled with useful information, the show is quite fickle when it comes to playing smoothly. The inability to pause or replay bits that you'd like to see is quite inconvenient, as you must watch the entire thing over and over again to get the rapid-fire facts that are loaded in this show. If you have the time and are desperate for information (perhaps for a history project, like I am) then this is an excellent source. However, if you haven't the patience to put up with playing it over and over again, then perhaps a less frustrating and time consuming source would be best.
Submitted by: Rebecca