The N-1 was a development of an earlier flying wing bomber concept from 1937, when Jack Northrop worked for Douglas Aircraft Company at El Segundo, California.

A wind tunnel model of the concept was built and tested, but the project was abandoned shortly after Northrop left Douglas.

In response to the United States Army Air Corps' XC-219 specification, which called for a new high-altitude medium bomber, Northrop made several major changes to the design, and gave it the model number N-1.

[1] Details of the design varied greatly as the aircraft evolved, with an early version featuring a large greenhouse canopy and a single vertical stabilizer under the fuselage to act as a propeller guard.

[1] Later, the stabilizer was deleted, with the anhedral of the wingtips increased to 40 degrees to make up for it, and a retractable tail wheel was added as a propeller guard instead.