# Percy Spencer Patents Microwave Oven in 1945

- Topic: tech
- Source: [Good News Network](https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/events061008/)
- Published: 2026-10-08
- Original: https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/events061008/
- Language: en
- Image: https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/Jo-Lizzy-CC-2.0-e1694081991377.jpg

## At a glance

- Percy Spencer discovered microwaves melt a candy bar in 1945
- The first microwave oven, Radarange, weighed 340 kg and cost $5,000
- The Radarange consumed 3 kW and was water‑cooled
- Raytheon filed the patent and installed the oven in a Boston restaurant

## Sources

- [Good News Network](https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/events061008/)

## The story

On October 8, 1945, Percy Spencer, a self‑taught engineer from Howland, Maine, patented the first microwave oven. While working for Raytheon on radar technology, he observed that microwaves from an active radar set melted a Mr. Goodbar candy bar he carried. He tested the heating effect on food, first cooking popcorn, then an egg that exploded in the face of an experimenter. Raytheon filed a U.S. patent for the microwave cooking process and soon built the Radarange, the first commercially available microwave oven. The Radarange was nearly six feet tall, weighed 340 kilograms, and cost about $5,000 - roughly $66,000 in 2022 dollars. It drew three kilowatts of power and was water‑cooled, far more energy‑hungry than modern units. The oven was installed in a Boston restaurant for public testing, marking the beginning of microwave cooking in everyday life. The invention revolutionized kitchen appliances, leading to rapid adoption worldwide and changing cooking habits. Today, microwaves are ubiquitous in homes and restaurants, a testament to Spencer's accidental discovery.

> Summary by Daily Read Bytes. [Read the original source](https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/events061008/)