Inventor of the microwave oven and the first microwave models

Who invented the household microwave oven?

There are two versions of creating an electrical appliance. According to the first, the history of the microwave began during World War II: the technique was invented in Germany for the German military. Later, the drawings of the German microwave came to other countries, including the USSR.

According to the second version, the invention of the microwave oven belongs to the US scientist and engineer Percy LeBaron Spencer.

During one of his experiments, Spencer noticed the effect of magnetic waves on a candy lying in his pocket. After this, the scientist tried to perform a similar experiment, only with popcorn. The result was similar.

After conducting a series of experiments, Spencer registered his first patent on October 8, 1945. Two years later, microwaves went into production, but they were used only by the military to quickly defrost food.

Biography of Percy LeBaron Spencer

The future inventor was born in Maine on July 9, 1894. When Spencer was three years old, his father died and the boy was sent to be raised by his aunt.

At the age of 12, Spencer began working in a spinning mill, without even receiving a secondary education.

Percy Spencer in his youth

In 1925, Percy got a job at the newly emerging company Radarange, which was developing equipment for radars.

In 1945, he made the greatest discovery of his life - heating food under microwave radiation.

Modern microwave oven

According to statistics, more than 12.6 million microwave ovens were sold in the United States in 2000 alone! In those days, when the microwave oven first appeared, no one could have thought that it would be so transformed and improved. A grill function will appear, as in the Gorenje MO21MGE (XY820Z) model, a food defrosting mode and a timer. It is these “goodies” that you should pay attention to when choosing a gadget for home. Even office premises equipped with a kitchen cannot do without a microwave oven. After all, saving time at lunch allows you to relax longer. As for control, microwave ovens are:

• mechanical;
• sensory.

Also, modern devices for heating food, unlike their predecessors, are equipped with a microwave protection system. Therefore, there is no need to worry about external radiation. For some, microwaves have even been able to replace ovens.

It will be useful to know: Top 10 best oven manufacturers

Half a century has passed from the moment the very first microwave ovens appeared to modern realities. During this time, this gadget has undergone total transformations both externally and internally. The table below provides a brief chronology of the development of this gadget:

The microwave oven was released when no one expected it. And that's a fact. We must thank Percy Spencer for inventing such an ingenious way of heating food, whether by accident or design. After all, without such an irreplaceable thing in the kitchen, the life of a modern person would be much more complicated. And no matter what they say about the supposedly harmful effects of electromagnetic waves on food, no one is going to stop using the microwave oven.

The world's first microwave ovens

The first electrical devices from this series came into use only in 1947, but only the military had them. The first samples belong to the Radarange company.

The first microwave ovens from Radarange

The dimensions of the devices were impressive: about 1.8 meters wide and about two meters high. The mass of the first microwave ovens was approximately 300 kilograms, so several people were required to move the electrical appliance.

Most samples had a transparent window that allowed you to monitor the melting of food. To cool this giant, ordinary water was used, and it required a lot of electricity to operate. As a result, the cost was very high - each device cost about three thousand dollars.

Theories of the appearance of microwaves

There are two versions of how microwave ovens appeared in our lives. It is also interesting that they are not at all mutually exclusive, which means that both have the right to exist:

1. In the first version, the invention of microwaves is attributed to the Nazis. During hostilities, wasting time preparing food could cost lives. To solve this problem, they came up with such a device. Later, research documents and versions of the first furnaces were received by researchers from large countries, including Russia.
2. According to the second version, the invention of the microwave oven is attributed to the American engineer Percy Spencer, who proved the effect of the magnetron on food. While conducting his research, he found out that waves of a certain frequency emit a large amount of heat.

Percy Spencer - inventor of the microwave oven

Spencer filed a patent for his invention on October 8, 1945. And the first oven was released in 1947. True, it was used only by the military and only for defrosting food.

Scientists' disputes

After Spencer created the device, the scientists split into two groups. Some believed that the device was safe and people could use it without fear of health. Others argued that the electrical appliance could lead to the development of dangerous diseases such as cancer.

At the same time, no contraindications have been reported from the inventors of the stove. Opponents of microwave ovens argued that baby food and milk should not be heated in an oven due to the negative effects of microwave waves.

In addition, when water molecules are passed through microwaves, some of the radiation remains in the food. This can contribute to a decrease in hemoglobin in the blood and an increase in cholesterol.

Myths about the microwave oven

From the origins of microwave ovens to this day, there has been a lot of misinformation about the devices. Here are the most common:

• The molecular structure of foods after microwave ovens changes and they become dangerous. In fact, the movement of water molecules accelerates, and the food heats up as a result. All that can happen to food is local overheating, which will lead to burning or a decrease in nutrients in the food.
• Microwaved food may taste different, but no changes in molecular composition occur. The device simply heats the food equally on all sides, because of this the moisture is distributed evenly, unlike an oven or frying pan.
• The quality of heating in microwave ovens does not depend on the price of the device. This is evidenced by a number of experiments conducted with devices of different price categories. When purchasing an expensive microwave oven, the user pays for build quality, brand, and safety. After all, many unknown companies undergo incomplete testing or do not test their products at all.
• The microwave oven emits harmful rays. It is not true. As long as a safe distance of one and a half meters is maintained, a person is not in danger.

Distribution of microwave ovens

Despite the suspicions and fears of scientists, the equipment successfully gained sales momentum, because it was a convenient and practical thing in everyday life. The inventor himself had no doubt about the success of his product, as he considered it irreplaceable. Let's look at the stages of microwave development:

• The very first household microwaves were enormous in size. Initially, they were used only by the military, but by 1949 mass production began, and electrical appliances appeared in rich homes. The cost of the device was three thousand dollars.
• Microwave ovens were improving and by 1962 they were becoming much more affordable. The price for one device has decreased several times.
• In 1966, the rotating rack was invented to distribute the outgoing microwaves evenly onto the dish.
• By 1979, the electrical consumption of microwave ovens was reduced due to the installation of a microprocessor. Another useful feature is added - automatic shutdown.

  
  Microwave ovens equipped with a microprocessor

• Control of electrical appliances became even more simplified with the introduction of the microcomputer in 1999. At this time, functions also appeared that made it possible not only to heat up ready-made food, but also to cook it. This was facilitated by the “Grill” and “Convection” functions.

The first household microwave oven and the start of mass production

From the time the first microwave oven was invented, decades passed before its mass use. There were several reasons for this:

1. High cost of equipment;
2. Criticism of this gadget by scientists;
3. As a consequence of the second point, there is negative PR for this device in the press.

Despite these obstacles, work to improve and optimize microwaves has been quite active. And already in 1962, it launched the first conveyor production of microwave ovens (by the way, the modern analogue of the oven of this company, SHARP R200WW, is very different from its predecessors).

Due to harsh criticism, the first production versions of the unit were not particularly popular, but time passed and microwave ovens nevertheless captured the market. In 1966, a rotating rack was developed to heat food evenly. From the time when the very first microwave oven was released until 1979, another transformation occurred: a microprocessor control system for the device appeared, which made it much easier to use. Such microwave ovens began to actively enter the family life of those times.

This is interesting: Top 10 manufacturers of microwave ovens

Microwave Oven Distribution Problems

Electrical appliances spread throughout the world very quickly due to the ability to cook delicious food in the shortest possible time. But the device was banned in the Soviet Union. The slogan was put forward: “Let’s protect our citizens!” All because of the research of Soviet scientists who came to the following conclusions:

• The process of decomposition of substances is accelerated due to exposure to microwaves.
• Cancerous growths appeared in food passed through microwaves. They arose due to the interaction of waves, water and modified proteins.
• Due to the incorrect structure of food consumed, metabolism changes.
• Cancer cells form in our blood.
• A field is formed around the microwave oven, which has a detrimental effect on the health of the person located in this field.
• Food cooked in a microwave oven can lead to disruption of human protective functions.
• Stomach dysfunction may occur.