Ever wonder who we should thank for those late-night reheated leftovers? Believe it or not, the microwave oven was born from a melted chocolate bar and one curious engineer who couldn’t stop asking ‘why?’ Here’s how a tiny detail changed kitchens around the world.
1945年，美国工程师珀西·斯宾塞在一家叫做雷神公司的国防企业工作。他的工作是研究雷达技术——一种用于探测飞机和船只位置的军事技术。这种技术依靠一种叫做磁控管的装置来产生微波辐射。斯宾塞每天都在这些设备旁边工作，已经习以为常了。
有一天，他站在一台正在运行的磁控管旁边，突然注意到口袋里的巧克力融化了。这件事本身并不是很奇怪——雷达设备会产生热量，这是众所周知的。但是斯宾塞是一个非常好奇的人。他没有忽视这件小事，而是开始思考：为什么巧克力会融化得这么快？
他决定做一个实验。他把一些爆米花放在磁控管旁边。不久，爆米花开始噼里啪啦地弹出来。斯宾塞非常兴奋，继续实验。他把一个鸡蛋放在磁控管旁边。鸡蛋爆炸了。
斯宾塞意识到，微波辐射能够从内部加热食物，速度比传统的加热方式快得多。这是一个全新的发现。他马上把这个想法告诉了公司，雷神公司在1945年申请了专利。
两年后，第一台商业微波炉诞生了。它的名字叫”雷达炉”，但是它和今天我们家里用的微波炉完全不同。它将近两米高，重量超过三百公斤，价格相当于今天的五万美元左右。这种微波炉只有餐厅和军队的厨房才用得起。
直到1960年代末，体积更小、价格更便宜的家用微波炉才开始出现。到了1970和80年代，微波炉逐渐成为全世界普通家庭厨房里的标准电器。
这个故事告诉我们一件有趣的事：很多改变世界的发明，并不是科学家坐在实验室里苦思冥想出来的，而是在做别的事情的时候，偶然注意到了一个小细节，然后问了一句”为什么”。斯宾塞没有忽视口袋里融化的巧克力。正是这一点好奇心，改变了全世界人做饭的方式。
Hover a word for its pinyin & meaning; click to pin it.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 工程师 | gōng chéng shī | engineer |
| 雷达 | léi dá | radar |
| 微波 | wēi bō | microwave |
| 辐射 | fú shè | radiation |
| 融化 | róng huà | to melt |
| 好奇 | hào qí | curious |
| 实验 | shí yàn | experiment |
| 专利 | zhuān lì | patent |
| 发明 | fā míng | invention |
| 习以为常 | xí yǐ wéi cháng | to be accustomed to; to take as normal |
| 年 | Nián | surname Nian; grain; harvest (old); variant of 年[nian2] |
| 美国 | Měi guó | United States; USA; US |
| 珀 | ||
| 西 | Xī | the West; abbr. for Spain 西班牙[Xi1 ban1 ya2]; Spanish |
| 斯 | Sī | Slovakia; Slovak; abbr. for 斯洛伐克[Si1 luo4 fa2 ke4] |
| 宾 | bin | visitor; object (in grammar) |
| 塞 | sai | to plug; to stop up; to stuff in |
| 在 | zài | to exist; to be alive; (of sb or sth) to be (located) at; (used before a verb to indicate an action in progress) |
| 一家 | yī jiā | the whole family; the same family; the family ... (when preceded by a family name); group |
| 叫 | jiào | to shout; to call; to order; to ask; to be called; by (indicates agent in the passive mood); variant of 叫[jiao4] |
| 做 | zuò | to make; to produce; to write; to compose; to do; to engage in; to hold (a party etc); (of a person) to be (an intermediary, a good student etc); to become (husband and wife, frien… |
| 雷神 | léi shén | god of thunder (Chinese Leigong 雷公[Lei2 gong1], Norse Thor 索爾|索尔[Suo3 er3], Greek Zeus 宙斯[Zhou4 si1] etc) |
| 公 | gōng | public; collectively owned; common; international (e.g. high seas, metric system, calendar); make public; fair; just; Duke, highest of five orders of nobility 五等爵位[wu3 deng3 jue2 w… |
| 司 | Sī | surname Si |
| 的 | de | of; ~'s (possessive particle); (used after an attribute when it modifies a noun); (used at the end of a declarative sentence for emphasis); (used after a noun, verb or adjective to… |
| 国 | Guó | surname Guo |
| 防 | fāng | to protect; to guard against |
| 企 | qǐ | (bound form) to stand on tiptoe and look; to anticipate; to look forward to; (bound form) company; firm; enterprise; corporation (abbr. for 企業|企业[qi3 ye4]); Taiwan pr. [qi4] |
| 业 | Yè | surname Ye |
| 工作 | gōng zuò | to work; (of a machine) to operate; job; work; task; CL:個|个[ge4],份[fen4],項|项[xiang4] |
| 他 | tā | (third-person singular) (since the early 20th century, usu. male) he; him; his; (bound form) other; another; some other (as in 他日[ta1 ri4] and 他人[ta1 ren2]) |
| 是 | shì | to be (followed by substantives only); correct; right; true; (respectful acknowledgement of a command) very well; (adverb for emphatic assertion); variant of 是[shi4] |
| 研究 | yán jīu | research; a study; CL:項|项[xiang4]; to research; to look into |
| 技 | jì | skill |
| 术 | shù | method; technique |
| 一种 | yī zhǒng | one kind of; one type of |
| 用于 | yòng yú | to use in; to use on; to use for |
| 探 | tǎn | to explore; to scout; to stretch forward |
| 测 | cě | to survey; to conjecture |
| 飞 | fēi | to fly |
| 机 | Jī | surname Ji |
| 和 | hé | old variant of 和[he2]; surname He; (literary) harmonious (variant of 和[he2]) |
| 船只 | chuán zhī | ship; boat; vessel |
| 位置 | wèi zhi | position; place; seat; CL:個|个[ge4] |
| 军事 | jūn shì | military affairs; (attributive) military |
| 这种 | zhè zhǒng | this kind of |
| 依 | yi | to depend on; according to |
| 靠 | kào | to lean against or on; to stand by the side of; to come near to; to depend on; to trust; to fuck (vulgar); traditional military costume drama where the performers wear armor (old) |
| 磁 | cí | magnetic; magnetism; porcelain |
| 控 | kǒng | to control; to charge; to invert a container to empty it; enthusiast; -phile or -philia |
| 管 | guǎn | variant of 管[guan3]; surname Guan |
| 装置 | zhuāng zhì | to install; installation; equipment; system; unit; device |
| 来 | lái | to come; (used as a substitute for a more specific verb); hither (directional complement for motion toward the speaker, as in 回來|回来[hui2 lai5]); ever since (as in 自古以來|自古以来[zi4 gu3… |
| 产生 | chǎn shēng | to arise; to come into being; to come about; to give rise to; to bring into being; to bring about; to produce; to engender; to generate |
| 每天 | měi tiān | every day |
| 都 | Dū | surname Du |
| 这些 | zhè xiē | these |
| 设备 | shè bèi | equipment; facilities; installations |
| 旁边 | páng biān | side; adjacent place |
| 已经 | yǐ jīng | already |
| 了 | le | (completed action marker); (modal particle indicating change of state, situation now); (modal particle intensifying preceding clause); (bound form) clear in one's mind; to understand clearly |
| 有 | yǒu | to have; there is; (bound form) having; with; -ful; -ed; -al (as in 有意[you3 yi4] intentional) |
| 一 | yī | one; single; a (article); as soon as; entire; whole; all; throughout; "one" radical in Chinese characters (Kangxi radical 1); also pr. [yao1] for greater clarity when spelling out … |
| 天 | tiān | day; sky; heaven |
| 站 | zhàn | station; to stand; to halt; to stop; branch of a company or organization; website |
| 台 | Tái | Taiwan (abbr.); surname Tai; desk; table; counter; typhoon |
| 正 | zhēng | first month of the lunar year |
| 运行 | yùn xíng | (of celestial bodies etc) to move along one's course; (fig.) to function; to be in operation; (of a train service etc) to operate; to run; (of a computer) to run |
| 突然 | tū rán | sudden; abrupt; unexpected |
| 注 | zhù | (bound form) to pour into; to flow into; to inject; (bound form) to focus (one's spirit, gaze etc) on a single point; to concentrate; (bound form) stake (in gambling); classifier f…; to annotate; to provide explanatory notes on a written text; an annotation; an explanatory note; (bound form) to put on record; to register |
| 意 | yì | (bound form) idea; thought; meaning; sense; (bound form) intention; feeling; inclination; state of mind; (bound form) Italy (abbr. for 意大利[Yi4 da4 li4]) |
| 到 | dào | to reach; to arrive; to leave for; to go to; to (a place); until (a time); up to (a point); (verb complement indicating arriving at a place or reaching a point); considerate; thoug… |
| 口袋 | kǒu dài | pocket; bag; sack |
| 里 | lǐ | variant of 裡|里[li3]; lining; interior; inside; internal; also written 裏|里[li3]; surname Li |
| 巧克力 | qiǎo kè lì | (loanword) chocolate; CL:塊|块[kuai4] |
| 这 | zhè | (pronoun) this; these; (bound form) this; the (followed by a noun); (bound form) this; these (followed by a classifier) (in this sense, commonly pr. [zhei4], esp. in Beijing) |
| 件 | jiàn | item; component; classifier for events, things, clothes etc |
| 事 | shì | matter; thing; item; work; affair; CL:件[jian4],樁|桩[zhuang1],回[hui2] |
| 本身 | běn shēn | itself; in itself; per se |
| 并 | bìng | and; furthermore; also; together with; (not) at all; simultaneously; to combine; to join; to merge; to combine; to amalgamate; short name for Taiyuan 太原[Tai4 yuan2]; variant of 並|并[bing4] |
| 不是 | bù shì | no; is not; not |
| 很 | hěn | very; quite; (also, often used before an adjective without intensifying its meaning, i.e. as a meaningless syntactic element) |
| 奇 | jī | odd (number) |
| 怪 | guǎi | odd; strange; uncanny; to find strange; to regard as odd; (coll.) somewhat; rather |
| 会 | huì | can; to have the skill; to know how to; to be likely to; to be sure to; to meet; to get together; meeting; gathering; (suffix) union; group; association; (bound form) a moment (Tai… |
| 热量 | rè liàng | heat; quantity of heat; calorific value |
| 众 | Zhòng | abbr. for 眾議院|众议院[Zhong4 yi4 yuan4], House of Representatives; variant of 眾|众[zhong4] |
| 所 | suǒ | actually; place; classifier for houses, small buildings, institutions etc; that which; particle introducing a relative clause or passive; CL:個|个[ge4] |
| 周知 | zhōu zhī | well known |
| 但 | dàn | but; yet; however; still; merely; only; just |
| 一个 | yī ge | a; an; one; the whole (afternoon, summer vacation etc) |
| 非常 | fēi cháng | very; really; unusual; extraordinary |
| 人 | rén | person; people; CL:個|个[ge4],位[wei4],名[ming2] |
| 没有 | méi yǒu | haven't; hasn't; doesn't exist; to not have; to not be |
| 忽视 | hū shì | to neglect; to overlook; to disregard; to ignore |
| 小事 | xiǎo shì | trifle; trivial matter; CL:點|点[dian3] |
| 而是 | ér shì | rather |
| 开始 | kāi shǐ | to begin; to start; beginning; start |
| 思考 | sī kǎo | to reflect on; to ponder over |
| 为 | wéi | as (in the capacity of); to take sth as; to act as; to serve as; to behave as; to become; to be; to do; by (in the passive voice); variant of 為|为[wei2] |
| 什 | shén | what |
| 么 | má | exclamatory final particle; variant of 麼|么[me5] |
| 得 | dé | to obtain; to get; to gain; to catch (a disease); proper; suitable; proud; contented; to allow; to permit; ready; finished |
| 这么 | zhè me | so much; this much; how much?; this way; like this |
| 快 | kuài | rapid; quick; speed; rate; soon; almost; to make haste; clever; sharp (of knives or wits); forthright; plainspoken; gratified; pleased; pleasant |
| 决定 | jué dìng | to decide; to determine; to make up one's mind; decision (CL:個|个[ge4],項|项[xiang4]) |
| 把 | bǎ | to hold; to grasp; to hold a baby in position to help it urinate or defecate; handlebar; classifier: handful, bundle, bunch; classifier for things with handles; (used to put the ob… |
| 一些 | yī xiē | some; a few; a little; (following an adjective) slightly ...er |
| 爆 | bǎo | to explode; to burst |
| 米 | Mǐ | surname Mi |
| 花 | Huā | surname Hua; old variant of 花[hua1]; variant of 花[hua1]; flower; blossom; also pr. [wei3] |
| 放 | fàng | to put; to place; to release; to free; to let go; to let out; to set off (fireworks) |
| 不久 | bù jǐu | not long (after); before too long; soon; soon after |
| 噼 | ||
| 啪 | pa | (onom.) bang; pow |
| 啦 | lā | (onom.) sound of singing, cheering etc; (phonetic); (dialect) to chat |
| 地 | de | -ly; structural particle: used before a verb or adjective, linking it to preceding modifying adverbial adjunct |
| 弹 | dǎn | crossball; shot; ball |
| 出 | chū | to go out; to come out; to arise; to occur; to produce; to yield; to go beyond; to exceed; (used after a verb to indicate an outward direction or a positive result); classifier for…; variant of 出[chu1] (classifier for plays or chapters of classical novels) |
| 兴 | Xīng | surname Xing |
| 奋 | fěn | to exert oneself (bound form) |
| 继 | jì | to continue; to follow after; to go on with; to succeed; to inherit; then; afterwards |
| 续 | xù | to continue; to replenish |
| 鸡蛋 | jī dàn | (chicken) egg; hen's egg; CL:個|个[ge4],打[da2] |
| 炸 | zhǎ | to deep fry; Taiwan pr. [zha4] |
| 识 | shí | to know; knowledge; Taiwan pr. [shi4] |
| 能 | Néng | surname Neng |
| 够 | gòu | enough (sufficient); enough (too much); (coll.) (before adj.) really; (coll.) to reach by stretching out |
| 从 | cóng | variant of 從|从[cong2]; surname Cong |
| 内部 | nèi bù | interior; inside (part, section); internal |
| 加热 | jiā rè | to heat |
| 食物 | shí wù | food |
| 速 | sǔ | fast; quick |
| 度 | dù | to pass; to spend (time); measure; limit; extent; degree of intensity; degree (angles, temperature etc); kilowatt-hour; classifier for events and occurrences |
| 比 | Bǐ | Belgium; Belgian; abbr. for 比利時|比利时[Bi3 li4 shi2] |
| 传 | chuān | to pass on; to transmit; to transfer; to conduct (electricity) |
| 统 | tóng | to gather; to unify |
| 方式 | fāng shì | way; method; manner; mode; pattern (of behavior etc); CL:種|种[zhong3] |
| 多 | duō | many; much; more; a lot of; too many; in excess; (after a numeral) ... odd; how (to what extent) (Taiwan pr. [duo2]); (bound form) multi-; poly- |
| 全新 | quán xīn | all new; completely new |
| 发现 | fā xiàn | to notice; to become aware of; to discover; to find; to detect; a discovery |
| 马上 | mǎ shàng | at once; right away; immediately; on horseback (i.e. by military force) |
| 这个 | zhè ge | (pronoun) this; (adjective) this |
| 想 | xiǎng | to think (about); to think of; to devise; to think (that); to believe (that); to desire; to want (to); to miss (feel wistful about the absence of) |
| 法 | fǎ | variant of 法[fa3]; France; French; abbr. for 法國|法国[Fa3 guo2]; Taiwan pr. [Fa4]; old variant of 法[fa3]; law |
| 告 | gào | (bound form) to say; to tell; to announce; to report; to denounce; to file a lawsuit; to sue |
| 诉 | sù | variant of 訴|诉[su4]; to complain; to sue; to tell |
| 申请 | shēn qǐng | to apply for sth; application form (CL:份[fen4]) |
| 两 | liǎng | two; both; some; a few; tael, unit of weight equal to 50 grams (modern) or 1⁄16 of a catty 斤[jin1] (old) |
| 后 | Hòu | surname Hou; back; behind; rear; afterwards; after; later; post- |
| 第 | dì | (prefix indicating ordinal number, as in 第六[di4 liu4] "sixth"); (literary) grades in which successful candidates in the imperial examinations were placed; (old) residence of a high… |
| 商 | Shāng | Shang Dynasty (c. 1600–1046 BC); surname Shang |
| 微波炉 | wēi bō lú | microwave oven; CL:臺|台[tai2] |
| 诞 | dǎn | birth; brag; to increase |
| 生 | shēng | to grow; to give birth; to produce; to be born; to arise; to occur; to light (a fire); to live; to be alive; life; raw; uncooked; unprocessed; unfamiliar; strange; (bound form) stu… |
| 它 | tā | it; it (pronoun for an animal) |
| 名字 | míng zi | name (of a person or thing) |
| 炉 | lú | stove; furnace; variant of 爐|炉[lu2] |
| 今天 | jīn tiān | today; the present time; now |
| 我 | wǒ | I; me; my |
| 们 | men | plural marker for pronouns, and nouns referring to individuals |
| 家里 | jiā lǐ | home |
| 用 | yòng | to use; to make use of; to employ; (coverb) with; using; to need; to have to (usu. used in the negative or in questions); usefulness; utility; (bound form) expense; outlay; (courte… |
| 完全 | wán quán | complete; whole; totally; entirely |
| 不同 | bù tóng | different; distinct; not the same; not alike |
| 将近 | jiāng jìn | almost; nearly; close to |
| 米高 | Mǐ gāo | (HK) (name) Michael |
| 重量 | zhòng liàng | weight; CL:個|个[ge4] |
| 超 | chao | to exceed; to surpass; to pass; ultra- |
| 过 | Guō | surname Guo |
| 三 | Sān | surname San |
| 百 | Bǎi | surname Bai |
| 公斤 | gōng jīn | kilogram (kg) |
| 价 | jiǎ | (literary) messenger; servant |
| 格 | gē | used in 格登[ge1 deng1] |
| 相当于 | xiāng dāng yú | equivalent to |
| 五 | wǔ | five; 5 |
| 万 | mò | used in 万俟[Mo4 qi2]; surname Wan |
| 美元 | měi yuán | American dollar; US dollar |
| 左右 | zuǒ yòu | left and right; nearby; approximately; attendant; to control; to influence |
| 只有 | zhǐ yǒu | only have ...; there is only ...; (used in combination with 才[cai2]) it is only if ... (that one can ...) (as in 只有通過治療才能痊愈|只有通过治疗才能痊愈[zhi3 you3 tong1 guo4 zhi4 liao2 cai2 neng2 qu… |
| 餐厅 | cān tīng | dining hall; dining room; restaurant; CL:間|间[jian1],家[jia1] |
| 军队 | jūn duì | armed forces; troops; CL:支[zhi1] |
| 厨房 | chú fáng | kitchen; CL:間|间[jian1] |
| 才 | cái | ability; talent; sb of a certain type; a capable individual; then and only then; just now; (before an expression of quantity) only; (emphatic, esp. in contrast or correction) reall…; (variant of 才[cai2]) just now; (variant of 才[cai2]) (before an expression of quantity) only |
| 得起 | de qǐ | (verb complement indicating ability to afford or bear the cost or consequences of doing sth) |
| 直到 | zhí dào | until |
| 年代 | nián dài | a decade of a century (e.g. the Sixties); age; era; period; CL:個|个[ge4] |
| 末 | me | variant of 麼|么[me5] |
| 体 | tī | used in 體己|体己[ti1 ji5]; Taiwan pr. [ti3] |
| 积 | ji | to amass; to accumulate; to store up; (TCM) constipation; indigestion |
| 更 | gēng | to change or replace; to experience; one of the five two-hour periods into which the night was formerly divided; watch (e.g. of a sentry or guard) |
| 小 | xiǎo | small; tiny; few; young |
| 便 | biàn | plain; informal; suitable; convenient; opportune; to urinate or defecate; equivalent to 就[jiu4]: then; in that case; even if; soon afterwards |
| 宜 | Yí | surname Yi |
| 家用 | jiā yòng | home-use; domestic; family expenses; housekeeping money |
| 出现 | chū xiàn | to appear; to arise; to emerge; to show up |
| 到了 | dào liǎo | at last; finally; in the end |
| 逐 | zhú | (bound form) to pursue; to chase; to drive away; one by one; individually |
| 渐 | jiǎn | to imbue |
| 成为 | chéng wéi | to become; to turn into |
| 全世界 | quán shì jiè | worldwide; entire world |
| 普 | pú | general; everywhere |
| 通 | tōng | to go through; to know well; (suffix) expert; to connect; to communicate; open; to clear; classifier for letters, telegrams, phone calls etc |
| 家庭 | jiā tíng | family; household; CL:戶|户[hu4] |
| 标 | biao | mark; label; to bear (a brand name, registration number etc); award; target; (old) the topmost branches of a tree; classifier for military units |
| 准 | zhǔn | to allow; to grant; in accordance with; in the light of; accurate; standard; definitely; certainly; about to become (bride, son-in-law etc); quasi-; para- |
| 电 | diàn | lightning; electricity; electric (bound form); to get (or give) an electric shock; phone call or telegram etc; to send via telephone or telegram etc |
| 器 | qì | device; tool; utensil; CL:臺|台[tai2] |
| 故事 | gù shì | old practice |
| 有趣 | yǒu qù | interesting; fascinating; amusing |
| 改变 | gǎi biàn | to change; to alter; to transform |
| 世界 | shì jiè | world |
| 科学家 | kē xué jiā | scientist |
| 坐 | Zuò | surname Zuo |
| 实验室 | shí yàn shì | laboratory; CL:間|间[jian1] |
| 苦 | kǔ | bitter; hardship; pain; to suffer; to bring suffering to; painstakingly |
| 思 | sī | to think; to consider |
| 冥 | míng | dark; underworld |
| 想出 | xiǎng chū | to figure out; to work out (a solution etc); to think up; to come up with (an idea etc) |
| 别的 | bié de | else; other |
| 事情 | shì qing | affair; matter; thing; business; CL:件[jian4],樁|桩[zhuang1] |
| 时 | shí | old variant of 時|时[shi2]; surname Shi |
| 候 | hòu | to wait; to inquire after; to watch; season; climate; (old) period of five days |
| 偶 | óu | accidental; pair |
| 然 | rán | correct; right; so; thus; like this; -ly |
| 细节 | xì jié | details; particulars |
| 问 | wèn | to ask; to inquire |
| 一句 | yī jù | a line of verse; a sentence |
| 正是 | zhèng shì | is precisely |
| 一点 | yī diǎn | a bit; a little bit; (used in negative expressions) (not) the least bit; (after an adjective, used to form the comparative) a bit more, -er; a point (in a discussion etc); (calligr… |
| 好奇心 | hào qí xīn | interest in sth; curiosity; inquisitive |
| 饭 | fàn | cooked rice; CL:碗[wan3]; meal; CL:頓|顿[dun4]; (loanword) fan; devotee |
In 1945, American engineer Percy Spencer worked at a defense company called Raytheon. His job was to research radar technology—a military technology used to detect the position of aircraft and ships. This technology relied on a device called a magnetron to produce microwave radiation. Spencer worked next to this equipment every day and had long since gotten used to it.
One day, he was standing next to a running magnetron when he suddenly noticed that the chocolate in his pocket had melted. This in itself wasn’t very strange—it was well known that radar equipment generated heat. But Spencer was a very curious person. He didn’t ignore this small matter; instead, he began to think: why did the chocolate melt so quickly?
He decided to do an experiment. He placed some popcorn next to the magnetron. Before long, the popcorn began to pop with a crackling sound. Spencer was very excited and continued experimenting. He placed an egg next to the magnetron. The egg exploded.
Spencer realized that microwave radiation could heat food from the inside, much faster than traditional heating methods. This was a completely new discovery. He immediately told the company about this idea, and Raytheon applied for a patent in 1945.
Two years later, the first commercial microwave oven was born. It was called the ‘Radarange,’ but it was completely different from the microwaves we use in our homes today. It was nearly two meters tall, weighed over three hundred kilograms, and cost the equivalent of about fifty thousand dollars today. Only restaurants and military kitchens could afford this kind of microwave.
It wasn’t until the late 1960s that smaller, cheaper home microwaves began to appear. By the 1970s and 80s, the microwave gradually became a standard appliance in ordinary family kitchens all over the world.
This story tells us something interesting: many world-changing inventions were not the result of scientists sitting in a lab racking their brains, but rather of someone noticing a small detail by chance while doing something else, and then asking ‘why?’ Spencer didn’t ignore the melted chocolate in his pocket. It was precisely this bit of curiosity that changed the way people all over the world cook.