In 1945, while working on a radar project, Percy Spencer’s chocolate bar in his pocked melted while standing in front of a magnetron. This led to the development of the microwave oven.
After he noticed the chocolate bar, Percy put popcorn kernel and raw egg in front of the magnetron to confirm that microwaves could cook food. Photo: Invention
at Play
Dru
This was another great invention thanks to Raytheon… We don’t build just missiles!
Persephone
Re Jesse’s comment: I have to agree. If it’s cooking the candy bar in my pocket, wouldn’t it be cooking what was right next to it? Like parts of me?
Nastia
Also I heard the story (from an electronics/video technology teacher) that in Canada or northern US when they first started putting up radio towers, they used microwaves, and the few people working on the towers every day had their candy bars melt and stuff like that, but then they were getting really sick and died and the autopsy showed that they had been cooked alive.
Leah
Nastia,
My dad worked in radio during the 40′s and 50′s (and later in TV). He’s been telling a similar story for as long as I can remember.
Apparently they were experimenting with microwaves and radio/TV transmission towers. A guy that my dad worked with had been warned to be careful, but apparently wasn’t. He managed to cook himself, but didn’t die immediately. He suffered for a few days, then died.
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Jesse
Pete R
