In 1886, Waterloo's Jacob Ball submitted a patent for an attachment to a privy (outhouse) seat which would close the hole of the seat until the user was seated there. It would thereby keep smell and gas from escaping when it was not in use.
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Kitchener medical tech startup wins $500,000 in international entrepreneurial competition
The firm, based at the Velocity Garage in Kitchener, won the inaugural Entrepreneurship World Cup held in Saudi Arabia, and was awarded US$500,000.
BlackBerry
One of Waterloo Region’s most recognizable icons of innovation in Waterloo Region stems from BlackBerry Ltd., formerly Research In Motion (RIM)