History of the Microwave Part 2 : Percy Spencer

Blogger: Amber Lemus

Percy Spencer

Last month we learned about the history of the microwave, however the man who is considered the inventor of the appliance deserves his own post, because his story is epic. So we're back today to learn about American inventor Percy Spencer.


Percy was born on July 19, 1894 in Howland, Maine, but his life would not be an easy one. Both of his parents died by the time he was eighteen months old, and he went to live with his aunt and uncle. When he was seven, his uncle also died, leaving Percy and his aunt on their own. Circumstances were so hard, that by age twelve, Percy dropped out of school to get a job so that he could help support his aunt. He got a job as a spindle boy at a weaving mill.

Even in these rough, early years, Percy was intelligent and ambitious. He took an interest in electricity when he heard that a local paper mill would soon start using it, and started learning all he could about the concepts. He hadn't received any formal training in electrical engineering, but he applied to the paper mill anyway and was one of the three persons hired to install electricity in the mill.

When he turned eighteen, Percy saw the Navy as an opportunity to further his education, so he joined as a radio operator. His interest in radio communications had been ignited when the news of the Titanic's sinking reached the shores of Maine. He was fascinated by the thought of the wireless communications that had been sent from a dying ship to plead for help. While he was in the Navy, Percy taught himself a number of scientific subjects. In his own words, "I just got hold of a lot of textbooks and taught myself while I was standing watch at night." In this way, he learned not only radio technology, but also calculus, physics, trigonometry and more.

Percy Spencer with early Microwave equipment
Public Domain - Newspaper Photo

Distinguished Public
Service Award
Public Domain

After the First World War, Percy joined a company known then as the American Appliance Company in Cambridge, Maine. This company would later be known as the Raytheon Company. During the Second World War, the British contracted with Raytheon to mass produce combat radar equipment. This was one of their most recent inventions. Spencer played a key role in the development of this technology by developing a system of mass production of the magnetron. He increased the production to 2,600 per day. In this way, Raytheon had a "marked effect on every major sea engagement of the war" according to Navy officials. Although he was no longer enlisted in the military, Percy was awarded the Distinguished Public Service Award from the U.S. Navy because of his work on this project. That award is the highest honor the Navy can bestow to a civilian.


As we discussed last month, it was during this time that Percy was working with the magnetron, that he also invented the microwave oven. This is what he is most well-known for, but it is hardly the greatest of his accomplishments. Vannevar Bush, a friend and colleague, said of Percy, "(He) earned the respect of every physicist in the country, not only for his ingenuity, but for what he has learned about physics by absorbing it through his skin."

While Percy was only given a $2.00 gratuity from Raytheon for the patent on the microwave, as an employee of the company, he did not receive any royalties on his inventions. However, he did become the Vice President and senior board member of the company, so I don't think he completely lost out on his career choice.

Percy Spencer's list of accomplishments is long. He received over 300 patents during his career. One of the Raytheon labs was named after him, and when that closed, another building was named in his honor. He was a member of the Institute of Radio Engineers, a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and he was granted an honorary Doctor of Science from the University of Massachusetts, despite the fact that he had no formal education. He was also a husband, father of three children, friend to many.

Percy died on September 8, 1970 at the age of 76. Here's a link to a NYT article at the time of his death.

*****

Two-time winner of the Christian Indie Award for historical fiction, Amber Lemus inspires hearts through enthralling tales She has a passion for travel, history, books and her Savior. This combination results in what her readers call "historical fiction at its finest".

She lives near the Ozarks in her "casita" with her prince charming. Between enjoying life as a boy mom, and spinning stories out of soap bubbles, Amber loves to connect with readers and hang out on Goodreads with other bookish peoples.

Amber is a proud member of the American Christian Fiction Writers Association. Visit her online at http://www.amberlemus.com/ and download a FREE story by subscribing to her Newsletter!

History of the Microwave

Blogger: Amber Lemus

Westinghouse demo for the
1933 World Fair unit.
Public Domain

Welcome back to our blog series on the History of Ordinary Things. Today we venture into the little-known history of the microwave oven. This appliance is a fairly recent invention, but it has revolutionized kitchens across the world.

Did you know that the invention of the microwave was actually an accident?


As technology developed in the 20's and 30's, the exploration of using radio waves to heat substances was just beginning. At the 1933 Chicago World's Fair, Westinghouse demonstrated a machine that cooked foods between two metal plates attached to a short-wave transmitter. The Westinghouse team had found that foods cooked in mere minutes with this method, compared to an hour in a regular oven.

As WWII raged, the development of short wavelength radar brought the invention of the cavity magnetron. This piece of equipment is what triggered the invention of the microwave oven as we know it today. A contract was awarded to Raytheon technologies here in the United States to mass produce this magnetron.


A man by the name of Percy Spencer was one of the leaders on the project for Raytheon in 1945. Percy was a self-taught engineer testing a new vacuum tube when he realized that a chocolate bar in his pocket was all melted from the heat. I love it that he was just carrying chocolate in his pocket at work. My kinda guy. Apparently, he wasn't the first person to notice this phenomenon, however he was the first one to investigate it. He set up another experiment with popcorn kernels and placed them near the magnetron. They popped into fluffy morsels. Next, he placed a tea kettle with an egg inside, placed the magnetron directly above it, and turned it on. As one of his co-workers stood over the kettle watching, the egg exploded in his face.

One of the original Radaranges
Installed 1961.
Acroterion, CC BY-SA 3.0
via Wikimedia Commons

Seeing these results, Percy went to work. He created a metal box and attached a high-density electromagnetic field generator to it. The magnetron emitted microwaves into the box, which kept the microwaves contained. After a few tweaks, Raytheon filed a patent on October 8, 1945 and called the invention the "Radarange". Percy was paid a gratuity of $2.00 for the patent, and never received any royalties for the invention. He did, however, go on to be the Vice President and Senior Board member at Raytheon.


The Radarange was placed in a restaurant in Boston for testing. This first commercial unit was almost 6 feet tall, weighed about 750 lbs, and cost $5,000, which would equate to around $61,000 in today's money.

Fun fact: almost immediately after the invention of the microwave, companies like Whirlpool began signing contracts so they could add matching ovens and microwaves to their product lines. Some companies even offered a combination microwave-ranges option up until sometime in the 1970's.

It was the Japanese company Sharp Corporation that introduced the turntable (that rotating plate on the inside) for more even cooking and heating.

Modern matching microwave and oven.
Photo by JOSBRA design Unsplash
 

In 1967, Amana a division of Raytheon introduced the first relatively affordable, and more reasonably sized microwave priced at $495, which would equate to around $4,000 today. It wasn't until the late 70's that we saw an explosion of low-cost countertop models, like the ones we know today.



As you can imagine, it took a while for the microwave to develop and catch on. In 1986, roughly 25% of U.S. households owned a microwave, but by 1994 it was over 90%.

As I was researching for this article, I was amazed at the life and mind of Percy Spencer, the inventor of the microwave. He deserves a post all to himself, so next month will be microwave part two!


Do you own a microwave? What do you typically use it for?

*****

Two-time winner of the Christian Indie Award for historical fiction, Amber Lemus inspires hearts through enthralling tales She has a passion for travel, history, books and her Savior. This combination results in what her readers call "historical fiction at its finest".

She lives near the Ozarks in her "casita" with her prince charming. Between enjoying life as a boy mom, and spinning stories out of soap bubbles, Amber loves to connect with readers and hang out on Goodreads with other bookish peoples.

Amber is a proud member of the American Christian Fiction Writers Association. Visit her online at http://www.amberlemus.com/ and download a FREE story by subscribing to her Newsletter!