When people think of Canada the first thing that usually comes to mind is hockey- a fervor and passion that Canadians seem to share whether male or female, young or old, professional athletes or out of shape co-workers getting together once a week. But, Canada is also responsible for inventing other great sports- the most famous of which are lacrosse, bowling, basketball and ringette.

While it is said that lacrosse was originally played by tribes of Native Americans, it wasn’t until 1856 when the dentist Dr. William George Beers founded the Montreal Lacrosse Club. In 1867 he codified the rules, shortening the length of each game and reducing the number of players to twelve per team.

In early December 1891, Dr. James Naismith, a physical education professor and instructor at a YMCA Training School, sought a vigorous indoor game to keep his students occupied during the long New England winters. Nailing a peach basket to the balcony of the gym proved to be the beginning of the now immensely popular basketball.

Whether or not you already knew this, you’ll have a new opportunity to remember each time you send off a love letter or thank you note. The latest in a new series of four postage stamps designed by Toronto firm q30 feature the original equipment used in each of the sports with an outline of the court or field in the background.

Sophisticated and timeless, the stamps emphasize the sports’ beginnings, which, as q30 principal Peter Scott claims, “are indebted to the creative thinking of their Canadian inventors.”

Posted in For Your Information, Graphic Design | No Comments »

This entry was posted on Thursday, September 10th, 2009 at 7:10 pm and is filed under For Your Information, Graphic Design. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.