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1946 at the Raytheon Corp.
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How was the microwave dicovered?
A Brief History of the Microwave OvenLike many of today's great inventions, the microwave oven was a by-product of another technology. It was during a radar-related research project around 1946 that Dr. Percy Spencer, a self-taught engineer with the Raytheon Corporation, noticed something very unusual. He was testing a new vacuum tube called a magnetron (we are searching for a picture of an actual 1946 magnetron), when he discovered that the candy bar in his pocket had melted. This intrigued Dr. Spencer, so he tried another experiment. This time he placed some popcorn kernels near the tube and, perhaps standing a little farther away, he watched with an inventive sparkle in his eye as the popcorn sputtered, cracked and popped all over his lab. The next morning, Scientist Spencer decided to put the magnetron tube near an egg. Spencer was joined by a curious colleague, and they both watched as the egg began to tremor and quake. The rapid temperature rise within the egg was causing tremendous internal pressure. Evidently the curious colleague moved in for a closer look just as the egg exploded and splattered hot yolk all over his amazed face. The face of Spencer lit up with a logical scientific conclusion: the melted candy bar, the popcorn, and now the exploding egg, were all attributable to exposure to low-density microwave energy. Thus, if an egg can be cooked that quickly, why not other foods? Experimentation began...Dr. Spencer fashioned a metal box with an opening into which he fed microwave power. The energy entering the box was unable to escape, thereby creating a higher density electromagnetic field. When food was placed in the box and microwave energy fed in, the temperature of the food rose very rapidly. Dr. Spencer had invented what was to revolutionize cooking, and form the basis of a multimillion dollar industry, the microwave oven.A Bit of Trivia: The "Speedie Weenie" ProjectIn the spring of 1946, Percy Spencer and an associate, P.R. Hanson (Roly Hanson), were working on a secret project they called "the Speedy Weenie". Muriel Withrow remembers the project well. She recalls, "The 'Speedy Weenie' Project was the nickname Mr. Spencer and my boss, Roly Hanson, gave to their secret project, the microwave [oven]" "'Speedie Weenie' meaning 'a quick hot dog!'" (Our thanks to Mrs. Withrow for sharing this little known detail)Click HERE: 1958 Issue of Readers Digest article about Dr. Percy SpencerClick HERE: Wikiverse - A World of Knowledge. Article about Percy Spencer with additional links.Nearly 6 Feet Tall, Weighing 750 PoundsEngineers went to work on Spencer's hot new idea, developing and refining it for practical use. By late 1946, the Raytheon Company had filed a patent proposing that microwaves be used to cook food. An oven that heated food using microwave energy was then placed in a Boston restaurant for testing. At last, in 1947, the first commercial microwave oven hit the market. These primitive units where gigantic and enormously expensive, standing 5 1/2 feet tall, weighing over 750 pounds, and costing about $5000 each. The magnetron tube had to be water-cooled, so plumbing installations were also required. Initial Reactions Were UnfavorableNot surprisingly, many were highly reluctant about these first units, and so they found only limited acceptance. Initial sales were disappointing...but not for long. Further improvements and refinements soon produced a more reliable and lightweight oven that was not only less expensive, but, with the development of a new air-cooled magnetron, there was no longer any need for a plumber. The microwave oven had reached a new level of acceptance, particularly with regard to certain industrial applications. By having a microwave oven available, restaurants and vending companies could now keep products refrigerator-fresh up to the point of service, then heat to order. The result? Fresher food, less waste, and money saved.New and Unusual ApplicationsAs the food industry began to recognize the potential and versatility of the microwave oven, its usefulness was put to new tests. Industries began using microwaves to dry potato chips and roast coffee beans and peanuts. Meats could be defrosted, precooked and tempered. Even the shucking of oysters was made easier by microwaves. Other industries found the diverse applications of microwave heating quite advantageous. In time, microwaves were being used to dry cork, ceramics, paper, leather, tobacco, textiles, pencils, flowers, wet books and match heads. The microwave oven had become a necessity in the commercial market and the possibilities seemed endless.The First "Radarange"In 1947, Raytheon demonstrated the world's first microwave oven and called it a "Radarange," the winning name in an employee contest. Housed in refrigerator-sized cabinets, the first microwave ovens cost between $2,000 and $3,000. Sometime between 1952-55, Tappan introduced the first home model priced at $1295. In 1965 Raytheon acquired Amana Refrigeration. Two years later, the first countertop, domestic oven was introduced. It was a 100-volt microwave oven, which cost just under $500 and was smaller, safer and more reliable than previous models.By 1975 Sales of Microwave Ovens Exceeded that of Gas RangesTechnological advances and further developments led to a microwave oven that was polished and priced for the consumer kitchen. However, there were many myths and fears surrounding these mysterious new electronic "radar ranges." By the seventies, more and more people were finding the benefits of microwave cooking to outweigh the possible risks, and none of them were dying of radiation poisoning, going blind, sterile, or becoming impotent (at least not from using microwave ovens). As fears faded, a swelling wave of acceptance began filtering into the kitchens of America and other countries. Myths were melting away, and doubt was turning into demand.By 1975, sales of microwave ovens would, for the first time, exceed that of gas ranges. The following year, a reported 17% of all homes in Japan were doing their cooking by microwaves, compared with 4% of the homes in the United States the same year. Before long, though, microwave ovens were adorning the kitchens in over nine million homes, or about 14%, of all the homes in the United States. In 1976, the microwave oven became a more commonly owned kitchen appliance than the dishwasher, reaching nearly 60%, or about 52 million U.S. households. America's cooking habits were being drastically changed by the time and energy-saving convenience of the microwave oven. Once considered a luxury, the microwave oven had developed into a practical necessity for a fast-paced world.An expanding market has produced a style to suit every taste; a size, shape, and color to fit any kitchen, and a price to please almost every pocketbook. Options and features, such as the addition of convection heat, probe and sensor cooking, meet the needs of virtually every cooking, heating or drying application. Today, the magic of microwave cooking has radiated around the globe, becoming an international phenomenon.Inventor SpencerDoctor Spencer continued at Raytheon as a senior consultant until he died at the age of 76. At the time of his death, Dr. Spencer held 150 patents and was considered one of the world's leading experts in the field of microwave energy, despite his lack of a high school education.On September 18, 1999, Dr. Percy LaBaron Spencer was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame and took his place in history alongside such great inventors as Thomas Edison, the Wright Brothers and George Washington Carver.Click HERE: 1958 Issue of Readers Digest article about Dr. Percy SpencerClick HERE: Wikiverse - A World of Knowledge. Article about Percy Spencer with additional links.More to come on the fascinating history and development of the microwave oven...Note: Photo of Percy Spencer and Patent provided courtesy of The Spencer Family ArchivesPicture of the earliest microwave oven provided courtesy of The Lemelson-MIT Awards Program's Invention Dimension web site, http://web.mit.edu/invent
How long did it took thomas edison to invent the light bulb?
it took him 1 year to invent the lightbulb
What year did willis invent air conditioning?
1902
What year did WH Carrier invent air conditioning?
1843
What year did Thomas alva Edison invent the lightbulb?
1879
What year did Percy Spencer invent the microwave oven?
in 1884
What year was the micro wave invented?
Percy Spencer invented the microwave in 1945
What year was Dr Percy Lebaron Spencer Born?
Dr Percy Lebaron Spencer was born on the 9 July 1894
What year did Percy Julian invent aerofoam?
1947
In what year was the first microwave introduced?
Microwaves, being natural physical entities, were never "invented," rather, their presence was discovered. Microwaves are a small component of a very broad spectrum of electromagnetic fields which includes colors, UV, radio waves, and even "heat waves" (called infrared). To ask when microwaves were invented is like asking when the color blue was invented. The microwave oven was patented and produced in 1945 by Percy Spencer.
Who invented the Microwave and what year was it invented?
Who invented the microwave? Huh? That's like asking who invented water or sunshine. Microwaves are radio waves with wavelengths that range from about one meter to as short as one millimeter, with frequencies between from 300 MHz to 300 GHz. If you're asking who invented the microwave oven, it was Dr Perry Spencer, after accidentally discovering that microwaves can heat food. In 1945 he was an engineer working for Raytheon, working on a radar set that used high power microwaves, and noticed the Mr Goodbar in his pocket started to melt. The first food to be purposely cooked by microwaves was popcorn, and later on an egg, which exploded in the face of someone helping him. He later fed microwaves from a magnetron into into a metal box and saw that it heated food rapidly. Raytheon filed a patent for the microwave cooking process on October 8, 1945.
What year did tesla invent the microwave?
He didn't. Percy Spencer invented the Microwave oven. James Clerk Maxwell was a mathematican and physicist and 'discovered' Microwaves in 1864.1894, Indian radio pioneer Jagdish Chandra Bose will demonstrate radio control of a bell using millimeter wavelengths. So some people point to this as the inventor of them - from a human controlled sense - as he did extensive research into microwaves.Albert W. Hull will discover and make use of dynatrons, vacuum tubes and Magnetrons in 1916-1920 which will be used to create Radar (which Tesla also -- did not invent). So a lot of people credit him with inventing Microwaves also. The word didnt exist until 1946.
When was a microwave oven invented?
In the spring of 1946, Percy Spencer and an associate, P.R. Hanson (Roly Hanson), commenced the development of utilising a magnetron by trapping its microwaves in a metal box causing it to heat food rapidly.
What year was the microwave oven and the typewriter invented?
Microwave Oven:The microwave oven was invented accidentally (did you ever notice that most great inventions or occurrences are accidents? 8>0 ) by Percy Spencer in Waltham, Massachusetts. Spencer was actually given the task of making magnetrons for radar sets for the Raytheon company, and he gave a microwave to them instead! The first microwave oven was presented to the public by the Raytheon Company in 1947, and it was a bulkier, much more energy consuming device that the modern one today, weighing 700 pounds! The ovens weren't very popular in the '50s and '60s, but in the early '70s, they sold faster than ice cream on a blazing day! In 1975, one MILLION microwaves were sold!! Typewriter:The first useful typewriter was made by Christopher Latham Sholes in 1868.
What year was the oven and the typewriter invented?
Microwave Oven:The microwave oven was invented accidentally (did you ever notice that most great inventions or occurrences are accidents? 8>0 ) by Percy Spencer in Waltham, Massachusetts. Spencer was actually given the task of making magnetrons for radar sets for the Raytheon company, and he gave a microwave to them instead! The first microwave oven was presented to the public by the Raytheon Company in 1947, and it was a bulkier, much more energy consuming device that the modern one today, weighing 700 pounds! The ovens weren't very popular in the '50s and '60s, but in the early '70s, they sold faster than ice cream on a blazing day! In 1975, one MILLION microwaves were sold!! Typewriter:The first useful typewriter was made by Christopher Latham Sholes in 1868.
What year did granville woods invent the transmitter?
what year did Granville T. Woods invent the transmitter
What year did the Greeks invent pizza?
The Greeks did not invent pizza.
