Joseph-Armand Bombardier

Born: April 16, 1907
Died: February 18, 1961
Place of Birth: Valcourt, Quebec

• Joseph-Armand Bombardier came from a large family with limited income.

• He seemed to be a natural mechanic even as a youth.

• His early goal was to develop a machine that could drive in snow.

• In 1937, he invented a vehicle that had skis in the front with two driving tracks in back.

• During World War II he set up a company named after his family, "Bombardier" to build his machines.

• Shortly after the war, he designed a new 12 passenger machine that was used by the military and the police.

• In 1958, Bombardier introduced a snow machine, the "Ski-doo" that was to revolutionize travel in snow.

• The Ski-doo, became known as a "snowmobile", used two skis in the front but only had a single wide driving track in back.

• Numerous companies began to introduce different snowmobile models and a new sport, snowmobiling, was created.

• After Bombardier died, the company continued and expanded into new divisions, most notable the aircraft and passenger train fields.

• The snowmobile had a major impact on the lives of those who lived in the north taking the place of dog teams.

• It is estimated that Bombardier employs over 50,000 people with gross revenue in the billions each year.

BACK       HOME PAGE

Last Updated: June 13, 2006
© Canada-Heros/Don Jones 2003