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
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.