Inventor of Standard Time and pioneer in world communications, Fleming was born in Kirkcaldy, Scotland, and training in engineering and surveying before emigrating to Canada and settling at Peterborough in 1845. He soon moved to Toronto where in 1849 he assisted in the founding of the Canadian Institute and two years later designed the first Canadian postage stamp. He was the builder of the Intercolonial Railway and as chief engineer of the Canadian Pacific Railway (1871-1880), conducted surveys of a transcontinental route. His proposal, presented to the Canadian Institute in 1879, outlining a worldwide uniform system for reckoning time and his advocacy of a cable route linking Canada with Australia, earned Fleming universal recognition. He was knighted in 1897.

Location

In Fleming Park, Aylmer Road and Brock Streets, Peterborough

Themes

• People
• Scientific and technological innovations
• Transportation systems and communications