The Lost Code

Bombardier—A True Success Story

Born in Valcourt in 1905, Joseph-Armand Bombardier demonstrated a gift for mechanics and invention from a very early age. At age 19, he had his own garage. In 1935, he developed a vehicle with tracked wheels in the back and runners in the front—hence the autoneige was born. After receiving a patent for his invention in 1937, he went into business. In 1948, the company's boasted sales of $2.3 million. In the 1950s all-terrain vehicles were added to Bombardier's product line, followed by the snowmobile in 1959. As of the 1970s the company diversified its operations and began manufacturing trains, subways, personal watercraft, airplanes, and sports boats. Today, Bombardier is a multinational corporation with yearly earnings of over $16 billion.