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Kristen Nygaard
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Kristen Nygaard

Norwegian co-inventor of Simula and object-oriented programming

27 August 1926 – 10 August 2002 Norway Verified by our editors
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Lived
75 yrs
1926 – 2002
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Kristen Nygaard was a Norwegian computer scientist and politician who co-created the Simula language with Ole-Johan Dahl, introducing object-oriented programming. He also championed workers’ involvement in technology design. They shared the 2001 Turing Award.

Biography

Operational research

Nygaard studied mathematics at the University of Oslo and worked at the Norwegian Defence Research Establishment on Monte Carlo simulations and operational research.

Simula

Wanting a better way to describe complex systems for simulation, he teamed up with Ole-Johan Dahl at the Norwegian Computing Center in 1962. Their Simula 67 language introduced objects, classes and inheritance.

Technology and workers

In the 1970s Nygaard worked with Norwegian trade unions to give workers a say in how computers were introduced at work, laying the foundations of participatory design.

Public life

He was active in Norwegian politics and led the successful campaign against Norway joining the European Union in 1994. He received the Turing Award and the von Neumann Medal in 2002, shortly before he died in August that year.

Timeline

  1. 1926

    Born in Oslo, Norway

  2. 1948

    Joins the Norwegian Defence Research Establishment

  3. 1962

    Starts Simula with Dahl

  4. 1967

    Simula 67

  5. 1977

    Professor at the University of Oslo

  6. 1990

    Norbert Wiener Award

  7. 1994

    Leads campaign against EU membership

  8. 2001

    Turing Award

  9. 2002

    Died, aged 75

Notable works

  • 1967

    Simula 67 Programming language

    With Ole-Johan Dahl.

Awards and honours

  • Norbert Wiener Award for Social and Professional Responsibility

    1990

  • Commander of the Order of St. Olav

    2000

  • Turing Award

    2001

Did you know?

  1. 1

    Norway voted against EU membership in 1994 after a campaign he led.

  2. 2

    He received the Turing Award and von Neumann Medal in the same year.

  3. 3

    The Dahl–Nygaard Prize for object-oriented research is named after him and Dahl.

Connections

Related people

Also born on 27 August

Frequently asked

Who is Kristen Nygaard?

Kristen Nygaard was a Norwegian computer scientist and politician who co-created the Simula language with Ole-Johan Dahl, introducing object-oriented programming. He also championed workers’ involvement in technology design. They shared the 2001 Turing Award.

When did Kristen Nygaard die?

Kristen Nygaard died on 10 August 2002 at the age of 75.

Where is Kristen Nygaard from?

Kristen Nygaard was born in Oslo, Norway.

What is Kristen Nygaard known for?

Kristen Nygaard is best known for Simula; object-oriented programming; participatory design; Turing Award 2001.

What awards has Kristen Nygaard received?

Notable honours include Norbert Wiener Award for Social and Professional Responsibility (1990), Commander of the Order of St. Olav (2000), Turing Award (2001).

References

  1. Kristen Nygaard — Wikipedia. Wikipedia. Retrieved 4 November 2026.
  2. Kristen Nygaard — Britannica. Encyclopaedia Britannica. Retrieved 4 November 2026.
  3. Kristen Nygaard — IMDb. IMDb. Retrieved 4 November 2026.
  4. Kristen Nygaard (Q92744) — structured data. Wikidata. Retrieved 4 November 2026.

Includes material from the Wikipedia article “Kristen Nygaard”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. That text is available under the same licence. Learn more

External links

Wikipedia
Filed under NorwayObject-oriented programmingSimulaTuring Award Computer ScientistMathematicianPolitician

About this profile

Cite this page

“Kristen Nygaard.” TrackFame, last updated 5 November 2026. https://trackfame.com/person/kristen-nygaard

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