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Dr. Percy Spencer creates first "Microwave"
By 1939, Spencer became one of the world’s leading experts in radar tube design. At that time, magnetrons were used to generate the microwave radio signals that are the core mechanism of radar, and they were being made at the rate of 17 per day at Raytheon, which is where he worked. 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, allowi -
Raytheon files patent for first Mcrowave
Raytheon filed a patent on October 8, 1945 for a microwave cooking oven, eventually named the Radarange. -
First commercially produced Microwave Oven
In 1947 the first commercially produced microwave oven was about 6 feet tall, weighed about 750 lbs, and cost between $2,000 and $3,000. -
Tappan introduces first home Microwave Oven
Sometime between 1952-55, Tappan introduced the first home model priced at $1295. -
First affordable Microwave Oven for sale
In 1967 the first relatively affordable ($495) and reasonably sized (counter-top) microwave oven was available for sale. It was a 100-volt microwave oven, which cost just under $500 and was smaller, safer and more reliable than previous models. -
Microwave becomes a necessity
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. -
Microwaves used in American homes
By 1986, roughly 25% of households in the U.S. owned a microwave oven, up from only about 1% in 1971. -
Microwave Ovens fill homes
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that over 90% of American households owned a microwave oven in 1997. -
A Modern Microwave and How it Works
How a Microwave Oven heats food
A microwave oven heats food by passing microwave radiation through it. Microwaves are a form of non-ionizing electromagnetic radiation with a frequency higher than ordinary radio waves but lower than infrared light. Microwave ovens use frequencies in one of the ISM (industrial, scientific, medical) bands, which are reserved for this use, so they don't interfere with other vital radio services. -
Microwave Efficiency
A microwave oven converts only part of its electrical input into microwave energy. An average consumer microwave oven consumes 1100 W of electricity in producing 700 W of microwave power, an efficiency of 64%.
