Profile America: And who invented the microwave?

Washington / DC. (gov) A melted candy bar led to the invention of one of today´s most-used kitchen appliances. Percy Spencer was working on a military radar device in the mid-1940s when he noticed that his chocolate snack had gotten soft. Intrigued, he experimented with irradiating some kernels of popcorn, which promptly burst. Spencer´s work led to the first microwave ovens, which cost only a little less than a new car. On this date in 1955, the first consumer models were introduced, but they still required installation and cost 1’200 USD to about 10’500 USD in today´s money. Countertop models came along in 1967 and quickly became popular. Now, more than nine out of ten homes across the country have a microwave oven, and manufacturing microwave ovens and other cooking ranges is a two-billion-USD a year business – according to the U.S. Census Bureau.