The Melted Chocolate and the Microwave

###The Melted Chocolate and the Microwave

Massachusetts, USA, 1945 — While testing military radar equipment, an engineer noticed his pocket snack melting and accidentally invented a revolutionary way to cook.

In 1945, engineer Percy Spencer was working in a Massachusetts laboratory, testing a powerful vacuum tube called a magnetron. The device was meant for World War II radar systems. But as Spencer stood near the active machine, he noticed his pants were getting awfully gooey.

Reaching into his pocket, he discovered his peanut-cluster chocolate bar had completely melted. Because there was no flame or traditional heating coil nearby, Spencer realized the invisible electromagnetic waves from the radar equipment were creating heat. Intrigued, he grabbed more snacks.

He held un-popped popcorn kernels near the magnetron, watching them pop and scatter across the floor. Next, he placed a raw egg inside a kettle and blasted it with microwaves. The egg violently exploded from internal pressure, and microwave cooking was born.

How It Went Down
Testing radartubes1945Pocketchocolate meltsPopcornscatters the floorThe kettle eggexplodesFoodstuffpatent filedOct 8, 1945
Crazy-o-Meter
Hard to believe
No.31
A wide-eyed engineer in a white lab coat stands in a laboratory, completely covered in dripping egg yolk and shell fragments after a violent explosion. The mess is blasting out of an ordinary metal kettle sitting on the floor in front of him. To his left, a heavy, complex metal radar tube hums with invisible energy, and popped popcorn covers the tiled laboratory floor around his feet. A dark, gooey smear of melted chocolate deeply stains his front pants pocket. The scene relies entirely on facial expressions and the messy aftermath; absolutely no words, signs, or lettering appear anywhere in the room.

The Melted Chocolate and the Microwave — Massachusetts, USA, 1945