Joseph-Armand Bombardier was a Canadian inventor from Valcourt, Quebec. He built his first snowmobile at age 15 and went on to invent the snowmobile in 1958. His snowmobile design featured a small engine and continuous rubber tracks that allowed it to be used for winter transportation and recreation on snow, grass, asphalt, and attempted use on water. Snowmobiles have since evolved significantly but remain widely used for winter transportation, recreation, and rescue missions.