The Microwave is in practically every single American household, but who invented it? What's the story behind the invention? Welcome to a new series, Inventions that Shook the World where we dive into the History of the Microwave!
Transcript:
As technology progresses further and further, we start to take some of the little things for granted. Mundane everyday activities like making coffee or heating up leftovers were a much more strenuous job before the advancements of modern convenience. Just think, before the Microwave existed, you would’ve had to poke your hot pocket on the end of a stick and roast it over the fire, like a caveman. Welcome to Inventions that Shook the World, where today we will discuss the invention of the microwave.
The microwave is an iconic part of nearly every household. Almost anyone could recognize the quiet hum, the rotation of the food, and the flickering light bulb you keep saying you’ll replace eventually. Despite being such a major part of our lives, the microwave was actually a complete accident.
An American inventor by the name of Percy LeBaron Spencer was working Raytheon, a company contracted by the U.S Department of Defense during WWII to produce Magnetrons, a type of vacuum tube that used microwave radiation for military radars.
Spencer was testing one of the magnetrons, when he realized the candy bar he had in his pocket had melted while he was next to the machine. Rather than worrying about the concerning amount of radiation sweeping around his body, he instead decided to run some experiments on other foods. Spencer then brought an egg to the machine, after a minute of the egg vibrating in place, the yolk exploded all over Spencer’s face. This only fueled his curiosity, however and he then brought a handful of popcorn kernels and watched as they popped in the palm of his hand.
Amazed by his accidental discovery, Spencer began to piece together more convenient methods of making this machine cook food. He pieced together a makeshift metal box next to the tubing and fed the microwave radiation inside, thus trapping the waves with the food. Before he knew it, Spencer had the first real microwave on his hands, and one of the most major inventions of the century.
Just one year later, Spencers invention had already hit the market. The Radarange. Meant for commercial businesses, the Radarange was over 750lbs and cost over $2,000, which would be about $16,000 today. Despite the massive size and the equally humongous cost, the microwave was an absolute hit. Even factories began to use the Radarange for unintended uses like drying leather, roasting nuts and coffee beans, and defrosting meat. The microwave revolutionized the way that restaurants prepared their food, even leading to restaurants like Chili’s that began to only use microwaves. Just kidding, please don’t sue us.
In 1967, the first compact Radarange was created by Amana, and by 1975 over a million microwaves were making their way into households every single year. Spencer passed away in September of 1970, but the impact that he made on the world still radiates through every household today.
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