Fifty years ago, as a Raytheon engineer in Lexington, Mass., he noticed that the electromagnetic waves in laboratory radar equipment had melted the candy bar in his pocket. But between high prices and anxiety about radiation, it took years for microwave sales to heat up. Gradually, technology improved, prices came down, and women started spending more time at work than they did at home. If a baked potato could cook in seven minutes, anything seemed possible. These days, a microwave can be found in 93 percent of American kitchens.
Many households have two, one for parents and one for kids, installed at a lower height.
The oven has transformed the food industry. Orville Redenbacher's Gourmet Microwave Popping Corn, launched in 1983, provides 90 percent of company profits. Spencer himself never got rich from his invention. Raytheon paid him a dollar or two for his patent. Inc. All rights reserved.