Percy Spencer, American engineer, invented the microwave oven (born 1894)

Percy Spencer was an American physicist, electrical engineer and inventor, known as the inventor of the microwave oven.

A microwave oven, or simply microwave, is an electric oven that heats and cooks food by exposing it to electromagnetic radiation in the microwave frequency range. This induces polar molecules in the food to rotate and produce thermal energy (heat) in a process known as dielectric heating. Microwave ovens heat food quickly and efficiently because the heating effect is fairly uniform in the outer 25–38 mm (1–1.5 inches) of a homogeneous, high-water-content food item.