The Birth of the Microwave Oven

The invention of the microwave oven originated from an accidental discovery. In 1945, American engineer Percy Spencer was testing a "magnetron," a core component of military radar, when he noticed that a chocolate bar in his pocket had melted. He keenly realized that this might be due to the microwave energy emitted by the radar. To verify his hypothesis, he conducted experiments: first, he placed corn kernels near the magnetron, and they instantly popped into popcorn. Next, he tested an egg, which resulted in the yolk rapidly expanding internally and exploding. These experiments confirmed that microwaves could penetrate food and heat it by causing water molecules to vibrate. In 1947, Raytheon introduced the world's first commercial microwave oven. However, the early models were 1.8 meters tall, weighed 340 kilograms, were expensive, and required a water-cooling system, primarily being used on large ships or in restaurants. It wasn't until the late 1960s, after technological improvements, size reduction, and cost decreases, that the microwave oven truly entered ordinary homes, becoming an indispensable appliance in the modern kitchen. A 1.8-meter microwave oven, why is all I can picture scenes from the movie 'Final Destination' 😱