Percy Spencer facts for kids

Percy LeBaron Spencer (born July 19, 1894 – died September 8, 1970) was an American physicist, electrical engineer, and inventor. He is famous for inventing the microwave oven, a device many people use every day!

Early Life and Learning

Spencer was born in Howland, Maine. When he was just 18 months old, his father passed away. His mother then left him to be raised by his aunt and uncle. Sadly, his uncle also died when Percy was only seven years old.

Because of these tough times, Percy had to leave school early to earn money. He needed to support himself and his aunt. From age twelve to sixteen, he worked long hours at a mill that made wooden spools.

Later, he learned that a local paper mill would start using electricity. This was a new and exciting idea in his quiet hometown. Percy worked hard to learn all he could about electricity. Even though he never finished school, he was hired to help install the new electrical system at the mill. He taught himself everything he needed to know!

When he was 18, Spencer joined the U.S. Navy. He became very interested in wireless communication, like the radios used on ships. He learned about wireless operators after the Titanic sank. In the Navy, he became an expert in radio technology. He once said, "I just got hold of a lot of textbooks and taught myself while I was standing watch at night." He also taught himself advanced subjects like math, chemistry, and physics.

Career and Inventions

By 1939, Percy Spencer was a top expert in designing special tubes for radar systems. Radar uses radio waves to detect objects. Spencer worked at Raytheon, a company that made equipment for the U.S. military. He was in charge of the division that made power tubes.

While at Raytheon, Spencer found a much faster way to make magnetrons. These are powerful tubes used in radar. He helped increase production from 100 to 2,600 magnetrons every day! Because of his skill, Raytheon won a big government contract. They were asked to create radar equipment for a special lab at M.I.T. This project was super important for the Allies of World War II and was the second-highest priority for the military during World War II, right after the Manhattan Project (which developed the atomic bomb). For his amazing work, the U.S. Navy gave him the Navy Distinguished Public Service Award.

How the Microwave Oven Was Invented

The story goes that one day, while working with magnetrons, Spencer was standing near an active radar set. He noticed that a candy bar in his pocket had melted! Percy Spencer wasn't the first person to see this happen, but he was the first to seriously investigate it.

He decided to experiment with food. He tried popcorn kernels, and they popped! This was the world's first microwaved popcorn. In another experiment, he put an egg in a tea kettle and placed the magnetron right above it. The egg exploded in the face of one of his co-workers who was looking into the kettle!

After these tests, Spencer created the first real microwave oven. He attached a powerful machine that made microwaves to a closed metal box. The metal box kept the microwaves inside, making it safe to experiment. He then put different foods in the box, watched what happened, and checked the temperatures. It's important to know that this famous story might be a legend, as there are no clear records to prove it happened exactly this way.

The First Microwave Ovens

Raytheon officially applied for a U.S. Patent for a microwave cooking oven on October 8, 1945. In 1947, the first microwave oven made for sale was huge! It was about 6 feet tall, weighed around 750 pounds, and cost about $5,000. That would be like spending about $68,000 today!

In 1967, the first more affordable and smaller microwave oven came out. It was called the Radarange and cost $495 (about $4,500 today). It was made by Amana, a company owned by Raytheon. This was a big step towards microwaves becoming common in homes.

Later Career and Recognition

Percy Spencer became a very important leader at Raytheon. He was a Senior Vice President and a Senior Member of the Board of Directors. During his career, he received 300 patents for his inventions!

A Raytheon building in Burlington, Massachusetts, where vacuum tubes were made, was named Spencer Labs in his honor. Later, a new building at the Raytheon Missile Defense Center in Woburn, Massachusetts, was also named after him.

Besides the Distinguished Public Service Award, he received other honors. He became a member of the Institute of Radio Engineers and a Fellow in the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. He even received an Honorary Doctor of Science degree from the University of Massachusetts, even though he never had any formal education!

For his amazing invention, the microwave oven, Spencer did not receive any special payments called royalties. Instead, he was given a one-time payment of $2.00 from Raytheon. This was a common small payment the company gave to all inventors for company patents at that time.

Personal Life

Percy Spencer and his first wife, Louise, had three children: John, James, and George. He was friends with many important people, including Vannevar Bush and Omar Bradley. Later, he married Lillian Ottenheimer on November 18, 1960.

Legacy

Raytheon Integrated Defense Systems, a company that works a lot with radar systems, named a building after Spencer in their Woburn, Massachusetts facility. You can even see an early Radarange microwave oven model in the lobby there!

See also

In Spanish: Percy Spencer para niños