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Carl Lucas Norden (April 23, 1880 – June 14, 1965), born Carel Lucas van Norden, was a Dutch-American engineer who invented the Norden bombsight.
Biography at Norden Retirees ClubStephen L. McFarland: America's Pursuit of Precision Bombing 1910-1945. Smithsonian Press 1995
{{DEFAULTSORT:Norden, Carl Lucas 1880 births 1965 deaths 20th-century American engineers 20th-century American inventors 20th-century Dutch inventors 20th-century Dutch engineers Dutch emigrants to the United States ETH Zurich alumni National Aviation Hall of Fame inductees People of the Dutch East Indies People from Semarang
Carl Lucas Norden (April 23, 1880 – June 14, 1965), born Carel Lucas van Norden, was a Dutch-American engineer who invented the Norden bombsight.
Biography
Norden was born inSemarang
Semarang ( jv, ꦏꦸꦛꦯꦼꦩꦫꦁ , Pegon: سماراڠ) is the capital and largest city of Central Java province in Indonesia. It was a major port during the Dutch colonial era, and is still an important regional center and port today. ...
, Java. After attending a boarding school in Barneveld, Netherlands, he was educated at the ETH Zürich in Switzerland
). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...
and then emigrated to the United States in 1904.
Along with Elmer Sperry, Norden worked on the first gyrostabilizers for United States ships, and became recognized for his contributions to military hardware. In 1913, he left Sperry to form his own company. In 1920, he began work on the Norden bombsight for the United States Navy. A prototype was available by 1923 and the first bombsight, containing an analog computer, was produced in 1927. Bombardiers were trained in great secrecy on how to use it. The device was used to drop bombs from high-altitude aircraft, accurately enough in practice to hit a 100-foot (30 m) circle from an altitude of 21,000 feet (6,400 m), but this accuracy was never achieved in combat.
Norden died in Zürich, Switzerland
). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...
on June 14 1965.
Legacy
Norden was inducted into the US National Aviation Hall of Fame in July 1994. His work on inventing the Norden bombsight was featured in Malcolm Gladwell's book '' The Bomber Mafia''.References
External links
Biography at Norden Retirees Club
{{DEFAULTSORT:Norden, Carl Lucas 1880 births 1965 deaths 20th-century American engineers 20th-century American inventors 20th-century Dutch inventors 20th-century Dutch engineers Dutch emigrants to the United States ETH Zurich alumni National Aviation Hall of Fame inductees People of the Dutch East Indies People from Semarang