Did you know?

The microwave was invented by accident.

During World War II, Allied forces gained a significant tactical advantage by deploying the world’s first true radar system. The success of this system increased research into microwaves and the magnetrons (a type of electron tube) that generate them. One day around 1946, Percy Spencer, an engineer at the aerospace and defense company Raytheon, stepped in front of an active radar set and noticed, to his surprise, that microwaves produced from the radar melted a candy bar in his pocket. After getting over his shock — and presumably cleaning up — Spencer conducted a few more experiments using eggs and popcorn kernels, and realized that microwaves could be used to cook a variety of foods. Raytheon patented the invention a short time later, and in 1947, the company released its first microwave.

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