National Microwave Oven Day Date in the current year: December 6, 2024

A microwave oven, commonly referred to as simply a microwave, is an electric kitchen appliance for heating and cooking food quickly and efficiently. It works by exposing food to electromagnetic radiation in the microwave frequency range (between 300 MHz and 300 GHz).

The history of the microwave oven can be traced back to the 1920s, when it was discovered that high-frequency radio waves could be used to heat substances. In 1933, the Westinghouse Electric & Manufacturing Company demonstrated how foods could be cooked between two metal plates attached to a shortwave transmitter at the Chicago World’s Fair.

The invention of the microwave oven became possible thanks to the invention of the cavity magnetron during World War II. The magnetron was developed as a crucial component of early short wavelength radar systems; it generated high-power microwaves that reflected from a target to produce a radar map on a screen.

The heating effect of microwaves was discovered accidentally by American physicist and inventor Percy Spencer, who was working for Raytheon at the time. One day while working on an active radar set he noticed that microwaves melted the candy bar in his pocket. Spencer began experimenting with cooking food using microwaves; first, he popped some corn, and then he tried to cook an egg, which exploded.

Raytheon patented the microwave cooking process invented by Spencer in 1945 and produced its first commercially available microwave oven in 1947. It was truly gigantic compared to modern microwaves, consumed about three times as much energy, and had a high price. Early microwaves were primarily used in the restaurant business. The first home model was introduced in 1967, and more compact, energy-efficient, and affordable microwaves became available in the 1970s.

Today, microwaves are ubiquitous; according to estimates, 90% of households in the United States have a microwave oven. These amazing appliances can be used to heat leftovers, make popcorn, melt butter and chocolate, heat water, and even make various dishes from scratch. Just don’t use your microwave to cook eggs in their shells; you can, however, use it to make poached eggs and omelette. You also should remember to never put metal objects in a microwave oven.

The origins of National Microwave Oven Day are unclear; it’s one of those quirky holidays that seem to have been around forever. You can celebrate it by cooking or reheating something in the microwave oven, giving your microwave oven a thorough cleaning if you haven’t done it for quite some time, buying a microwave oven if you don’t have one or if you want to upgrade to a better model, and spreading the word about the holiday on social media with the hashtags #NationalMicrowaveOvenDay and #MicrowaveOvenDay.