The invention of the microwave oven was an accident
Recommended for Middle Grades
The microwave oven is the most common kitchen appliance in the world. It is a very useful invention because it works fast and is easy to use. However, this very useful invention was invented accidentally and unintentionally.
75 years ago, an engineer named Percy Herbert Spencer invented this machine. Spencer was actually testing a device called a thermionic tube. However, to his surprise, during the testing, he found that his snack (a peanut cluster bar) had become a liquid.
What is a thermionic tube?
This is an electronic device used in many older model radios, television sets, and amplifiers to control electric current flow.
After the first experiment, he decided to run another test with the thermionic tube. This time, he placed an egg on a plate and put it in the thermionic tube. Moments later, an explosion took place, covering his face with the egg. The next day, he again experimented with corn kernels. He popped them in his invented machine and shared them with his colleagues. Hence, a kitchen appliance was born.
The Radrange
At that time, Spencer was working at a company called Raytheon. The company filed for the rights to the new microwave invention in 1945. Spencer also named the invention “The Radarange”. This was the 1st commercial microwave. It was six feet tall and weighed almost 350 kg! It was only in 1967 that a comparatively cheaper and smaller microwave was invented.
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