There is a beautiful legend about how Spencer accidentally invented the microwave oven. According to it, in 1945, while working on military radar at Raytheon, he noticed that a chocolate bar in his pocket had melted during a magnetron test. Intrigued by this phenomenon, he began experimenting: first with popcorn, and then with an egg, which spectacularly exploded right in the face of one of the experimenters.
However, there is another version. According to it, after the end of World War II, Raytheon, like many military contractors, was looking for ways to adapt its developments for civilian life. Spencer suggested using a magnetron, a device that generates microwaves for radar, for household purposes. The idea was approved by management, and on October 8, 1945, Raytheon filed a patent for a microwave cooking process. And in 1947, the first commercial microwave oven, the Radarange, appeared.
The first model was impressive in its specifications: about two meters high, weighing 340 kilograms, and producing 3 kilowatts (approximately three times more than today’s models). It required water cooling and cost a whopping $5,000 (equivalent to about $68,000 today). It’s no surprise that the first customers were military canteens and restaurants, which used the ovens to quickly defrost food.
In 1952, Raytheon licensed its technology to Tappan, which introduced the first home microwave oven in 1955.While the $1,295 price tag was still comparable to a new car, it was an important step toward affordable models.
Japan played a major role in the development of microwave ovens. Sharp developed the R-10 model in 1961 and the following year became the first company to mass-produce microwave ovens. In 1964-1966, it developed the turntable, a revolutionary improvement that ensured more even heating of food.
The Japanese company’s success was largely due to a competent marketing strategy. Sharp began by offering its products to cafes and restaurants, where owners quickly appreciated the advantages of the device, which allowed them to cook much faster and serve hot dishes in almost any conditions. Thanks to word of mouth, microwave ovens began to be purchased en masse by Japanese catering establishments, and then by ordinary citizens. By the early 1970s, 17% of Japanese families already had microwave ovens, while in the United States this figure was only 4%.
In the US, the real breakthrough came in 1967 with the introduction of the Radarange Amana RR-1. This microwave weighed only 13 kg and was compact enough to fit into any kitchen. It had two built-in timers with a total duration of half an hour, although there was no power regulator yet, and the operation could only be stopped by opening the door. In 1974, Amana introduced the automatic defrost function on the RR-4D, and in 1975 the first microprocessor digital control panel on the RR-6. By 1975, sales reached a million units per year, and by 1997, more than 90% of American households already had a microwave.
