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Portrait of Andrew McNaughton Andrew McNaughton 1887-1966
Rarely is a soldier renowned as a scientist, or a scientist renowned as a soldier. My fame is derived from both of these pursuits, and my greatest impact comes my bringing science to the military, and the military to science.

In World War I, gunners believed that it was impossible to locate the placements of the enemy's heavy artillery. I applied the most up-to-date scientific methods to the art of artillery warfare (often at the risk of my own life) and in doing so helped alter the delicate balance of power in the frontline trenches of Europe. The need to accurately pinpoint artillery targets, both stationary and moving, led to my invention of the cathode ray direction finder which was the forerunner of RADAR. I sold the rights to that invention to the Government of Canada for only $1.

In addition to bringing science to the military, I brought military science to the people of Canada. In my many posts with the Canadian government, including that of President of the National Research Council, I worked to insure that the military effort would support, and not disrupt, the peacetime activities of Canada. Research should always have primary economic applications in peace, even if it also has uses in war. By diligently applying this principle I helped lay the foundation for Canadian civil aviation, employing and training thousands of unemployed men during the depression. I was also instrumental in opening up the north through the development of new aerial mapping techniques and a northern communications network

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