Percy Lebaron Spencer was an American engineer and inventor and is the most famous as the inventor of the microwave oven but there is more interesting stories to be told about him.
He was born on 19 July 1894 in Howland, Maine and his hard childhood started almost immediately. When he was only 18 months old he lost his father and his mother left him after that to his aunt and uncle. His uncle died, when Spencer was only 7 years old and shortly after that he had to leave grammar school so he could find a job and earn money to support him and his aunt. At the age of 12, he had a job at a spool mill. He was at this job until he was 16 when he heard that a local paper mill will start using electricity which intrigued him. Unable to find anyone that would tough him about electricity (Howland, Maine was a very remote community), he tough himself all that he could and when he applied for a job at the paper mill he was one of three people who were hired to install electricity in the plant. Wireless communications began to interest him when he was 18 (he read about wireless operators aboard the Titanic when it sank) and decided to join the U.S. Navy There he made himself an expert on radio technology as well as trigonometry, calculus, chemistry, physics, and metallurgy.
He worked so hard that by 1939 he became one of the world’s leading experts in radar tube design. He was then already an employee of Raytheon, a contractor for the United States Department of Defense, where he held the position of the chief of the power tube division. He was the won to secure a government contract for Raytheon to develop and produce combat radar equipment for M.I.T.’s Radiation Laboratory which was a very important project during the Second World War, second only to the Manhattan Project - development of Atomic Bomb. When Raytheon started producing magnetrons, an important radar part that produced microwaves, they were making them at the rate of 17 per day. Spencer found a way to make them faster and increase magnetron production to 2,600 per day. He was awarded for that with the Distinguished Public Service Award by the U.S. Navy. In 1945, while working on the active radar set, he noticed that a chocolate that he had in his pocket started to melt. While he wasn’t the first to notice this behavior he was curious enough to examine it more thoroughly. He experimented with popcorns (which were the first food to be heated with microwaves - deliberately) and with an egg (which exploded). After that he attached a high density electromagnetic field generator to an enclosed metal box which made a sort of proto-microwave oven in which he conducted later experiments with different types of food. Raytheon patented microwave oven on October 8, 1945 and began development and production. For his invention of microwave oven, Spencer received no royalties. He was paid a one-time $2 gratuity from Raytheon, which was the same token payment the company made to all inventors on its payroll. That doesn’t mean that his intellect went unrewarded. He became Senior Vice President and a Senior Member of the Board of Directors at Raytheon. He had 300 patents at his name during his career there and a building was named in his honor. Ha also received many other awards and achievements. Spencer also had a wife, Louise, had three children: John, James, and George.
FAQs
Spencer then created the first true microwave oven by attaching a high-density electromagnetic field generator to an enclosed metal box. The magnetron emitted microwaves into the metal box blocking any escape and allowing for controlled and safe experimentation.
What is the story behind the invention of the microwave oven? ›
The microwave oven was invented accidentally, when a test for a magnetron melted an engineer's snack in 1946. Raytheon engineer Perry Spencer had a “knack for finding simple solutions to manufacturing problems,” a current engineer at the same company says. Today, more than 90 percent of American homes have a microwave.
What is the summary of microwave oven? ›
microwave oven, appliance that cooks food by means of high-frequency electromagnetic waves called microwaves. A microwave oven is a relatively small, boxlike oven that raises the temperature of food by subjecting it to a high-frequency electromagnetic field.
How did Percy discover the microwave? ›
Standing next to a magnetron one day, he noticed that a candy bar in his pocket melted. This caused him to wonder if the energy from radio waves could be used to cook food. He placed popcorn kernels near the tube; within minutes, he was snacking on the world's first microwave popcorn.
What was Percy Spencer trying to invent? ›
Percy Spencer, while working for the Raytheon Company, discovered a more efficient way to manufacture magnetrons. This discovery led to significant advances in radar and his most popular invention, the microwave oven.
Who made the first ever microwave? ›
American engineer Percy Spencer invented the first microwave, but he didn't set out to create this modern convenience and kitchen staple we know and love today. Spencer helped develop a system to mass produce compact cavity magnetrons—the core component of a microwave—for Raytheon Laboratories during World War II.
What food accidentally invented the microwave? ›
Employed by Raytheon at the time, he noticed that microwaves from an active radar set he was working on started to melt a Mr. Goodbar candy bar he had in his pocket.
When was the microwave accidentally invented? ›
The microwave was invented accidentally in 1945 by a self-taught engineer named Percy Spencer, who was leading a radar project for the defence giant, Raytheon.
What year was the microwave accidentally invented? ›
The microwave was invented in 1945 by Raytheon engineer Percy Spencer, as evidenced by his patent for a “Method of treating foodstuffs.”
Do microwaves lose power as they age? ›
Microwave ovens also decrease in output power as they age and their frequency of use.
The invention didn't catch on at first, hampered by public fears of microwave radiation, and by the sheer cost and size. Those microwave ovens were huge, nearly six feet tall and more than 750 pounds, and cost $5000 — the equivalent of more than $50,000 in today's currency.
Who tricked Percy? ›
Ares wants war, so he framed Percy as the culprit in order to achieve a three-way war against Poseidon, Zeus, and Hades. He explains that magic similar to that in Riptide, the sword, was used on the backpack, so that the bolt would appear in the backpack once Percy entered the Underworld.
How did Percy lose his memory? ›
Percy Jackson: A demigod son of Poseidon (Neptune), who is the main protagonist in the first Camp Half-Blood series. He and Jason Grace have been swapped, because Hera (Juno in Roman form) has wiped their memories away to unite the two demigod camps.
What did Percy discover about himself? ›
Percy Jackson, the protagonist of the story, is a young boy who discovers he is the son of the Greek god Poseidon.
What is the story behind the microwave chocolate bar? ›
The story goes that an American engineer, Percy Spencer, while working on radar technology during the 2nd world war walked through the radar field and a chocolate bar in his shirt pocket melted. Intrigued he investigated this anomaly further, and subsequently went on to develop the first microwave oven.
Did the inventor of the microwave appliance only received $2 for his discovery? ›
The inventor of the microwave appliance only received $2 for his discovery: Percy Spencer was working as a researcher for American Appliance Company (now Raytheon) when he noticed a radar set using electromagnetic waves melted the candy bar in his pocket.
Who owns the patent for microwaves? ›
Percy Spence obtained over 100 patents in his lifetime; almost all of them were in the field of microwave technology. The most noteworthy is Patent #2,495,429 Method of Treating Foodstuffs, 1950.
