Microwave Oven
Percy Spencer, Raytheon, USA, patent 2,495,429 of 1950. Radar magnetrons repurposed to heat food.
Overview
Raytheon engineer Percy Spencer noticed a candy bar melting in his pocket while working near an active magnetron, the radar tube built in quantity for the war. He experimented with popcorn and an egg, and Raytheon filed for a patent on a method of treating foodstuffs in 1945. The first commercial Radarange of 1947 stood nearly six feet tall and weighed hundreds of pounds. Countertop models from Amana in 1967 brought the microwave into ordinary kitchens, and it became one of the most common household appliances.
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