Microwave oven cooking is a modern convenience that roughly no modern kitchen can do without. We use it to get ready quick and easy meals, icy dinners, and even coffee and tea. While most habitancy couldn't dream living without a microwave it is still a fairly new invention. Like most inventions of the last century it falls into the type of being a soldiery technology that was adapted for the home market.
Invention
Microwave Oven
Similar to post-it-notes, microwaves were discovered by accident. An engineer, Percy Spencer, who worked for the American enterprise Raytheon was building a magnetron for a radar set. When the radar was active he noticed that a chocolate bar that he had in his pocket began to melt. It was in fact the microwaves being produced by the magnetron that melted the chocolate bar. If you're wondering if this was hazardous for Percy, yes if very well could have been. The magnetrons that he was working on were much more great than your run of the mill microwave oven.
With the chocolate bar incident under his belt the engineers set out to see the effects microwaves would have on other foods. First popcorn, and then an egg. The egg literally exploded into the face of one of the experimenters. Spencer worked on manufacture a metal shielded box to contain the high density microwave field. The shielded box allowed him to couple the waves onto the food that they had now located inside the test microwave. The temperature rose swiftly and microwave cooking was born.
Field Testing
A large microwave unit was located into a bistro in Boston on October 8, 1945. Raytheon filed for a patent the cooking process. The test was a success and Raytheon pressed send and in 1947 they introduced the Radarange, the first microwave oven. It was rather large, coming in at roughly 6 feet tall and weighed roughly 750 pounds. It cost over ,000 and consumed three times the energy of today's modern marvels.
An attempt to market early commercial microwave was a failure. In general because of the crippling price, ,000.00 - ,000.00. It was also a water cooled device. It wasn't until Raytheon bought Amana that microwave ovens for the home took off. The first model to gain popularity was the Amana Radarange in 1967. It had a price tag of 5.00.
Summary
It took 20 years for microwave ovens to go from an accidental stock to home appliance. In the years following 1967 prices began to fall rapidly as many manufacturers started gift distinct models of the microwave oven. Uptake picked up throughout the 1970's and into the 1980's. By the mid 80's 25% of home owned and enjoyed a microwave oven. It is now estimated that over 90% of American homes have one. And to this day one of the most beloved applications of the gismo harkens back to its roots, micro-waving popcorn.
A covenant History of the Microwave Oven
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