From Bullets to Ice Cubes

The Norge Appliance Company manufactured window iceboxes and later moved to motorized refrigeration units. The Norge brand began making home appliances in the early 1940s. Norge appliances were considered solid and reliable, perhaps built like a tank, Norge's military involvement in producing bullets, gun turrets, and airplane parts during WW2 was just as impressive. The Norge refrigeration line has a complicated history of corporate buy-outs. The company was originally a division of BorgWarner, manufacturing refrigerators made by the Ranney Refrigeration Company. The Norge refrigerator line was eventually sold in 1970 to the Fedders Corporation and approximately four years later was acquired by Magic Chef, which in turn was absorbed by Maytag in 1986. Since 2005, the Whirlpool Corporation took over any Maytag brands.