The History of The Microwave Oven

The cavity magnetron was developed by John Randall and Harry Boot in 1940 at the University of Birmingham. The invention of the cavity magnetron made possible the production of electromagnetic waves of a small enough wavelength (microwaves). The magnetron was originally a crucial component in the development of short wavelength radar during World War II. In 1937–1940, a multi-cavity magnetron was built by the British physicist Sir John Turton Randall, FRSE, together with a team of British co-workers, for the British and American military radar installations in World War II. Being a very important invention that helped win the war, no one was really thinking of how this could be used in other ways especially not as a domestic appliance..

An engineer called Percy Spencer invented the first microwave oven after World War II from this radar technology. Named the "Radarange", it was first sold in 1946. Raytheon later licensed its patents for a domestic appliance home-use microwave oven that was first introduced by Tappan in 1955, but these units were still too large and expensive for domestic general home use. The counter top microwave oven was first introduced in 1967 by the Amana Corporation, and their use has spread into commercial and residential kitchens around the world.

The good old microwave oven, commonly referred to as a microwave, is a kitchen appliance that heats and cooks food by exposing it to electromagnetic radiation in the microwave spectrum. The Microwave ovens heat foods quickly and efficiently but they are no replacement to the oven or cooker which cooks the food better.

By the late 1970s, technological advances led to rapidly falling prices. Often called "electronic ovens" in the 1960s, the name "microwave oven" later gained currency, and they are now informally called "microwave ovens".

Formerly found only in large industrial applications, microwave ovens increasingly became a standard fixture of residential kitchens in developed countries. By 1986, roughly 25% of households in the U.S. owned a microwave oven, up from only about 1% in 1971. In the UK today this percentage is about 86% due mostly to the compact size and low price. You can now buy a small microwave oven in supermarkets for as little as £25.