They Invented It When? – microwave oven – Brief Article
Fenella Saunders
THE MICROWAVE OVEN
In 1945, Percy Spencer, an engineer at the Raytheon Company in Messachusetts, was inspecting a factory that manufactured microwave generators for radar. During his morning tour, he noticed a candy bar in his pocket had melted while he stood close to a running unit. Realizing he had stumbled upon a new wag to heat food, Spencer built the first microwave oven. Soon microwaved meals debuted in Raytheon’s executive dining room. In 1947, the company began selling a fridge-size $3,000 oven to defrost and heat meals on trains and ocean liners. Microwaves hit the kitchen in 1967, when Raytheon and Amana developed a $495 countertop unit. Engineers are still working on ways to disperse microwaves more effectively to minimize uneven heating.
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