This article's lead sectionmay be too short to adequately summarize the key points. Please consider expanding the lead to provide an accessible overview of all important aspects of the article.(December 2023)
Curta (Type I) mechanical calculator shown in the operational position (left hand). The crank is turned with the right hand.Curt Herzstark at the 1910 office equipment exhibition in Vienna
Herzstark was born in Vienna, the son of Marie and Samuel Jakob Herzstark. His father was Jewish and his mother, born a Catholic, converted to Lutheranism and raised Herzstark Lutheran.[1][2]
In 1938, while he was technical manager of his father's company Rechenmaschinenwerk AUSTRIA Herzstark & Co., Herzstark had already completed the design of the Curta, but could not manufacture it due to the Nazi Germanannexation of Austria. Instead, the company was ordered to make measuring devices for the German Army. In 1943, perhaps influenced by the fact that his father was a liberal Jew, the Nazis arrested him for "helping Jews and subversive elements" and "indecent contacts with Aryan women" and sent him to the Buchenwald concentration camp. However, the reports of the army about the precision-production of the firm AUSTRIA and especially about the technical expertise of Herzstark led the Nazis to treat him as an "intelligence-slave".
His imprisonment at Buchenwald seriously threatened his health, but his condition improved when he was called to work in the factory linked to the camp, which was named after Wilhelm Gustloff. There, he was ordered to make a drawing of the construction of his calculator, so that the Nazis could ultimately give the machine to the Führer as a gift after the successful end of the war. The preferential treatment this allowed ensured that he survived his stay at Buchenwald until the camp's liberation in 1945, by which time he had redrawn the complete construction from memory.[3]
The Curta is referenced in chapter four of William Gibson's Pattern Recognition. The chapter is entitled 'Math Grenades', referring to protagonist Cayce Pollard mistaking them for hand grenades at first glance.
^(PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2014-09-04. Retrieved 2012-02-09.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
^Thadeusz, Frank (3 July 2013). "Early Calculator: The Sad Story of an Inventor at Buchenwald". Der Spiegel. Retrieved 2013-07-03.
External linksedit
Biographical information about Curt Herzstark and the Curta calculator.
Interview of Curt Herzstark at the Charles Babbage Institute, University of Minnesota. Herzstark interview in German.
December 18, 2023
curt, herzstark, this, article, lead, section, short, adequately, summarize, points, please, consider, expanding, lead, provide, accessible, overview, important, aspects, article, december, 2023, january, 1902, october, 1988, austrian, engineer, during, world,. This article s lead section may be too short to adequately summarize the key points Please consider expanding the lead to provide an accessible overview of all important aspects of the article December 2023 Curt Herzstark January 26 1902 October 27 1988 was an Austrian engineer During World War II he designed plans for a mechanical pocket calculator the Curta Curta Type I mechanical calculator shown in the operational position left hand The crank is turned with the right hand Curt Herzstark at the 1910 office equipment exhibition in Vienna Contents 1 Life and career 2 Further reading 3 References 4 External linksLife and career editHerzstark was born in Vienna the son of Marie and Samuel Jakob Herzstark His father was Jewish and his mother born a Catholic converted to Lutheranism and raised Herzstark Lutheran 1 2 In 1938 while he was technical manager of his father s company Rechenmaschinenwerk AUSTRIA Herzstark amp Co Herzstark had already completed the design of the Curta but could not manufacture it due to the Nazi German annexation of Austria Instead the company was ordered to make measuring devices for the German Army In 1943 perhaps influenced by the fact that his father was a liberal Jew the Nazis arrested him for helping Jews and subversive elements and indecent contacts with Aryan women and sent him to the Buchenwald concentration camp However the reports of the army about the precision production of the firm AUSTRIA and especially about the technical expertise of Herzstark led the Nazis to treat him as an intelligence slave His imprisonment at Buchenwald seriously threatened his health but his condition improved when he was called to work in the factory linked to the camp which was named after Wilhelm Gustloff There he was ordered to make a drawing of the construction of his calculator so that the Nazis could ultimately give the machine to the Fuhrer as a gift after the successful end of the war The preferential treatment this allowed ensured that he survived his stay at Buchenwald until the camp s liberation in 1945 by which time he had redrawn the complete construction from memory 3 Herzstark died in Nendeln Liechtenstein The Curta is referenced in chapter four of William Gibson s Pattern Recognition The chapter is entitled Math Grenades referring to protagonist Cayce Pollard mistaking them for hand grenades at first glance Further reading editCliff Stoll Scientific American 290 1 92 99 January 2004 Frank Thadeusz Der Spiegel 1 July 2013 References edit Cyber Heroes of the past Curt Herzstark Archived copy PDF Archived from the original PDF on 2014 09 04 Retrieved 2012 02 09 a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a CS1 maint archived copy as title link Thadeusz Frank 3 July 2013 Early Calculator The Sad Story of an Inventor at Buchenwald Der Spiegel Retrieved 2013 07 03 External links editBiographical information about Curt Herzstark and the Curta calculator Interview of Curt Herzstark at the Charles Babbage Institute University of Minnesota Herzstark interview in German Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Curt Herzstark amp oldid 1189406072, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
