The Truth About Microwaves

In the 1940s, the microwave was accidentally invented, and decades later, many controversies surfaced. The risks are high, from destroying nutritional content to radiation exposure, yet about 90 percent of Americans have one.

In 1945, the microwave was accidentally invented. Percy Spencer, a self-taught engineer and one of the world's leading experts in radar tube design, noticed his chocolate bar was melting in his pocket while working on a powered radar set. The theory was that a high-frequency electric field with a multi-cavity magnetron that produced small electromagnetic waves (microwaves) could be used for heating. Although he was not the first to notice this reaction, he became intrigued and experimented further; soon after, he had the microwave cooking oven patented (1).