Today, many families use a microwave oven, and it’s difficult to surprise anyone with this appliance at work. It is affordable and not a luxury, has a small size, convenient and easy to use. But it was not always so. We offer a brief historical excursion during the creation of the microwave. After all, it is interesting what the microwave was in its original form.
Who invented the microwave
There is no agreement on this issue to this day. Russia and the United States dispute the authorship of the microwave, however, the patent belongs to an inventor from the United States.
Versions of historians about who invented the microwave
One of the most plausible versions sounds like this - American engineer and inventor Percy Lebaron Spencer once, in the course of experimental work with a magnetron, he discovered that the chocolate in his pocket melted during the work. There is also a version that he put a sandwich on a magnetron, and then he detected food heating during the operation of the device. It is likely that during the experiments he received a burn, but when he received a patent for the invention of the microwave oven, he decided to remain silent about this so as not to spoil the image of his brainchild.
Another version set forth in the newspaper Trud on May 17, 2011, states that on June 13, 1941, the same newspaper described a device using microwave currents to process meat products. The development was allegedly conducted in the laboratory of magnetic waves of the All-Union Scientific Research Institute of the Meat Industry.
There are also versions of the German developments of the Third Reichfalling into the hands of scientists from the USSR and the USA. But they never received confirmation.
Microwave patent
The grant of a patent for a prototype microwave oven took place in 1946. It was called "Radarange", its first release is dated 1947, was used to quickly defrost food. It was used only by military personnel in dining rooms and hospitals.
Interesting to know!
The first microwave in height was about 180 cm, weighed about 340 kg. Power consumption was twice as high as modern analogues and consumed 3 kW, its cost was quite large - 3 thousand dollars.
First microwave ovens
Serial production of the above model began in 1949. The first household microwave for the general public was created by the Tappan Company in 1955. Serial production of household microwave ovens dates back to 1962, it was established by the company "Sharp", Japan. The novelty was met with distrust, and did not receive much popularity.
In the Soviet Union, the start of serial production of microwave ovens dates back to the early 80s. years of the last century. They were produced by ZIL, YuzhMash, the Elektropribor plant (Tambov), and the Lenin Dneprov Machine-Building Plant.
Who invented the microwave: USSR or America?
As already mentioned above, it is not possible to precisely establish the authorship of the invention. The fact is that in 1941 the Soviet Union was embroiled in a difficult and bloody war in history, and everyone was simply not up to the invention. According to existing international rules, authorship is recognized for those who received the patent. Consequently, the official author of the microwave is Percy Lebaron Spencer from the USA.
Microwave: from the time of the invention to the present day
From the moment the first models were created to this day, the appearance of the microwave oven has changed a lot - it has become more compact, more convenient to use, and a lot of useful functions have appeared:
- A business card of any microwave oven - a rotating tray, appeared in 1962 thanks to the development of the Japanese company Sharp.
- The microprocessor that controls the operation of the microwave began to be used for the first time since 1979.
- In the late 90s. years of the last century, models appeared where the device was controlled by an integrated microcomputer, while grill and convection functions appeared.
Panasonic has introduced another innovation - inverter microwave ovens. Unlike conventional models, where the magnetron is powered by a transformer, in inverter ovens, power is supplied through an inverter that converts direct current to alternating current. As a result, the food being heated has an adjustable, softer effect, allowing it to be heated evenly. In addition, the inverter is smaller than the transformer, which also allows you to reduce the weight and dimensions of the device, which has already become compact compared to the first prototypes, weighing more than three hundred kilograms and in size not inferior to a large refrigerator.
On a note!The first microwave ovens weighed about 300 kg.
Modern furnaces, unlike the initial ones, are equipped with a timer that allows you to automatically turn off the device at the right time. Thus, the microwave oven does not need to be monitored as before, it will turn itself off after a certain time and will give a sound signal.
In a word, progress does not stand still, and many companies compete with each other for the sales market, offering the buyer more and more new models with various functions. Despite the emergence of many different innovations, the principle of operation of the microwave has not changed since its invention. It still uses microwave currents for heating and cooking.
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