On 5 November 1949 the original planetarium at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario was publicly opened for the first time.  Armand Spitz, whose Spitz Laboratories had supplied the Model A-1 projection system, was a guest at the opening and spoke about 'The Value of Astronomy to the Layman.' Members of the Hamilton, Guelph and Toronto RASC centres, as well as the national RASC president Andrew Thomson, were also present. At the time, the dome above the projector was only a parachute hung from the ceiling, but the system was improved many times over the following years.