If it wasn't for this accidental invention leftovers would be wasted!

Spencer Platt Getty Images
Spencer Platt Getty Images
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Did you know the microwave was invented by a man from Maine!? Percy Spencer was orphaned at a very young age and never even finished grammar school. Spencer worked in a spool mill until he was 16, developing a good work ethic and an interest in how things worked.

His attention was caught when he heard a mill in the Howland area was going to start using electricity! Something that was not common at this time in rural Maine. With no electrical engineering credentials at all, Spencer was hired as one of the 3 men who installed electricity into the mill.

At age 18 Spencer joined the Navy where he learned all there was to know about radio. Waves, frequency, and tubes were Spencer's main focus for 4 years. While building magnetrons one day, he noticed the candy bar he had in his pocket had melted. Being of a curious nature he decided to investigate why that had happened using popcorn kernels. What happened next was the first 'microwaved popcorn'.

Today microwaves are found around the world and can be bought at a reasonable price. Do you love your microwave? Read more about how it was invented here.

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