History of the Microwave Oven (Ms. Olinde)

Timeline created by Olinde Grade 5 in Science and Technology

Timeline Text view

Event Date:	Event Title:	Event Description:
01/01/1946	Microwave Energy Cooks!	As Dr. Percy Spencer was working on magnetrons (vacuum tubes), he finds that the chocolate bar in his pocket has melted. He realizes that microwave energy cooks food fast,
01/01/1947	First Commercial Microwave	The first commercial microwaves were 5 1/2 feet tall, weighed more than 700 pounds, and cost about 5,000 dollars. It also had to be connected to plumbing.
01/01/1953	Early 1950s: First Microwave Ovens for Homes	The first microwaves for home-use cost $1,295 and were in a cabinet the size of a refrigerator.
01/01/1967	First Countertop Microwave Oven	This model, put out in 1967, used less energy, cost under $500, and was much smaller. It was also safer than the models that came before it.
01/01/1971	Federal Standards Put in Place	Standards and regulations set by the federal government fixed previous problems with microwaves leaking out of microwave ovens.
01/01/1975	Microwaves Cheaper, Do More, and Sell	During the 1970s, microwaves became increasingly inexpensive and were able to do more than previous models. Models were also air-cooled and did not require plumbing. By 1975, more microwave ovens were sold than gas ranges.
01/01/1976	More Microwaves than Dishwashers	By 1976, more households had microwaves than dishwashers. 60%, or about 52 million households, had microwave ovens this year.
01/01/2011	Almost All Homes Have Microwaves	Today, more than 95% of households have a microwave.