Like many great scientific inventions of the past, the microwave oven was discovered during another research project. The man who came across this amazing kitchen appliance that we use today is Dr. Percy Spence, a self-taught engineer who worked for the Raytheon Corporation. Dr. Spence was working on a radar-related research project involving a new vacuum tube called a magnetron. It was during this search that one day he noticed that a chocolate bar he had in his pocket had melted. Being a scientist, this captured his curiosity. He preceded to try new experiments with the magnetron. He placed some popcorn kernels near the pipe and waited to see what would happen. It turned out that the popcorn kernels started popping, breaking, and then bursting into popcorn all over the floor. The next day Dr. Spence tried another experiment, this time with an egg. He placed the egg next to the tube and watched with another curious colleague. The egg began to shake and tremble. This was due to the rapid change in temperature of the tube causing high pressures to build up inside the egg. The egg eventually exploded, but not before Dr. Spence's curious colleague went to take a closer look. As he did so the egg exploded covering his face with hot yolk!Dr. Spence, after the two experiments, concluded that the melting candy bar, the popping popcorn, and the exploded egg are subject to exposure to low-density microwave energy. The first oven... At the end of 1946 the Raytheon Company had already filed a patent proposing to use microwaves to cook food. The company's engineers immediately went to work trying to make a microwave oven for economical use. In 1947 the first commercial oven was put on the market, after a test run in Boston r...... middle of paper...... means that the waves bounce off the internal walls and cannot escape while the oven is running. Therefore the only chance for microwaves to escape is when you open the door. However, there is nothing to worry about, as previously stated, that microwaves tend to disperse and dissolve very quickly in the air. Safety Rules:1) When using a microwave oven, stay away at least an arm's length.2) When the microwave oven is empty, do not perform any kind of operation on it.3) Also, do not use the oven if the door does not close or is damaged in any way.4) Don't mess with the fuse or safety switches. Other uses of microwaves... Microwaves are not only used for cooking food, but also for many other things. For example medicine, industry, science, consumer goods and communication.