Sir Sandford Fleming, an engineer and inventor, was designated as a person of National Historic Significance in 1950. Among his many achievements are the following:
- He served as the Chief Engineer of both the Intercolonial and Canadian Pacific Railways,
- He pioneered Standard Time and the establishment of time zones,
- He designed Canada's first postage stamp (the "Three Penny Beaver" of 1851),
- He championed the laying of the Trans-Pacific telegraph cable, and
- He founded the Royal Canadian Institute and was a founding member of the Royal Society of Canada.