<p><em>by Fenella Saunders</em></p><div class="vert-display-toggle collapsible relative flex flex-col items-center "><div class="vert-unit mt-4 mb-3 top-20"><div ad-type="mobile-desktop" class="ad-wrapper vert min-h-boombox flex items-start justify-center" data-ad-mapping="inline" data-ad-slot="Discover/inline-ad" id="div-inline-ad-0"></div></div><span aria-label="Advertisement" class="text-ad mt-1 text-[11px] uppercase">Advertisement</span></div><p>In 1945, Percy Spencer, an engineer at the Raytheon Company in Massachusetts, was inspecting a factory that manufactured microwave generators for radar. During his morning tour, he noticed a candy bar in his pocket had melted while he stood close to a running unit. Realizing he had stumbled upon a new way to heat food, Spencer built the first microwave oven. Soon microwaved meals debuted in Raytheon's executive dining room. In 1947, the company began selling a fridge-size $3,000 oven to defrost and heat meals on trains and ocean liners. Microwaves hit the kitchen in 1967, when Raytheon and Amana developed a $495 countertop unit. Engineers are still working on ways to disperse microwaves more effectively to minimize uneven heating. </p><figure class="fr-image-container fr-full"><img srcset="https://cdn.discovermagazine.com/assets/image/40850/1stmicrowave-s.webp 480w, https://cdn.discovermagazine.com/assets/image/40850/1stmicrowave-m.webp 660w" sizes="(max-width: 480px) 480px, 660px" src="https://cdn.discovermagazine.com/assets/image/40850/1stmicrowave-s.jpg" title="1stmicrowave.jpg" loading="lazy" data-id="40850"><figcaption class="fr-figcaption"><p class="fr-caption"></p></figcaption></figure><p>Photo by Amana Appliances</p><div data-embedid="cade7ffa-0563-48de-839f-f84e596c0b94" id="insticator-embed-temp"></div>

November 2000

The November 2000 issue of Discover Magazine

Multiple Universes

Discover how Percy Spencer invented the first microwave oven and transformed the way we cook with his groundbreaking discovery.

Technology

They Invented it

Article

News

Science

by Fenella Saunders In 1945, Percy Spencer, an engineer at the Raytheon Company in Massachusetts, was inspecting a factory that manufactured microwave generators for radar. During his morning tour, he noticed a candy bar in his pocket had melted while he stood close to a running unit. Realizing he had stumbled upon a new way to heat food, Spencer built the first microwave oven. Soon microwaved meals debuted in Raytheon's executive dining room. In 1947, the company began selling a fridge-size $3,000 oven to defrost and heat meals on trains and ocean liners. Microwaves hit the kitchen in 1967, when Raytheon and Amana developed a $495 countertop unit. Engineers are still working on ways to disperse microwaves more effectively to minimize uneven heating. Photo by Amana Appliances

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