Get acquainted with the history of the microwave oven in the interior. Microwave! The history of the microwave oven! Crazy version: aliens and microwaves

The microwave oven is the savior of many modern kitchens. For those who live a hectic life and suffer from lack of time, this is a great find.

We no longer have to stand near the stove and wait for hours for our dinner to cook. Now we can simply cook and heat up ready-made dishes in the microwave, and watch how it spins on a special dish for some time.

There is a wide, impressive and actually quite tasty selection of foods on the market that can be quickly cooked in these ovens in a matter of minutes.

Short review stories microwave oven:

The invention of the microwave was not something out of the ordinary that happened in isolation - it was an adaptation and fusion of previous technologies.

It has quite an interesting and exciting history. It was during World War II that two scientists invented the magnetron - essentially a tube that produced microwaves. The magnetron was used in the British radar system to allow microwaves to identify Nazi planes heading to Britain on bombing campaigns.

Happy accident

It was only a few years later that it was discovered that these microwaves could actually cook food. In 1946, Dr. Percy Spencer, a self-taught engineer with the Raytheon Corporation, conducted research project in the field of radar. When he was experimenting with a new magnetron, it fell on the scientist’s pocket containing chocolate, and as a result it melted.

He tried another experiment by placing popcorn cubes next to a tube - the result was that they popped up all over his laboratory. He conducted a similar experiment with an egg that was cooked and then exploded before his eyes.

It was a springboard for further scientific curiosity and experimentation: could microwaves be used to cook other foods?

The idea was quickly adopted by engineers who were interested in making sure Spencer's newly discovered capabilities were useful and practical. The patent was filed in October 1945 for a microwave oven that heated food using microwave energy.

This led to the creation of the first microwave oven, the Radarange, in 1947. It was a large stove, 6 feet (1.8 m) tall, weighed 750 pounds (340 kg), and cost just over $5,000.

Modifications were made such that in 1954 a model was sold that used 1600 watts and sold for $2000.

1967 saw the launch of the popular home microwave model priced at $495. Initial sales were slow—largely due to the high price of the appliance—but the concept became firmly ingrained in the public's mind, and the reality and practicality and speed of cooking actually emerged.

Modification Matter

Further changes were made to microwave oven design in the 60s. Unveiled at the Chicago trade show, the microwave oven received even more exposure and generated further interest and popularity, with US unit sales rising to over a million by the mid-70s.

The microwave was even more popular in Japan and sales were faster - they were able to make less expensive units by reverse engineering the cheaper magnetron.

A combination of further mastering and developments in technology resulted in a microwave oven that was ultimately a higher quality, smoother, more efficient product and at a price that was more affordable for the average consumer's pocket.

Warnings and Myths

As is the case with any new technology or invention, there is always a certain degree of suspicion, doubt and even fear - and the microwave was no exception.

Radiation poisoning, impotence, infertility, brain damage and blindness were blamed on the latest kitchen technology.

However, by the mid-70s, the pros far outweighed any perceived cons, and consumers defied the naysayers (and also proved them wrong) to enjoy the benefits of microwave cooking.

Sales growth

This overwhelming wave of enthusiasm and sales meant that cooking habits around the world were changing - with an emphasis on energy efficiency and time saving. Once considered a luxury, it now seems like a necessity for the busy and fast-paced lifestyle of the modern consumer.

And by the end of the 70s, advances were made in microwave technology as prices fell sharply.

Modern microwaves

Nowadays there are microwave ovens that suit almost everyone in size, shape, design and color of every kitchen. Besides, additional functions, such as grilling and convection cooking, means that the microwave oven is versatile and meets the needs of the modern household in a way that would not have been possible many years ago.

Not only microwave ovens operate on the basis of electromagnetic waves. The same principles of physics are used in telephony and radio communications. The work process is designed in such a way that the waves accelerate water molecules, thereby allowing the products to heat up (for more details, see the article). So who invented such an indispensable device today as a microwave oven?

Exists two versions how microwave ovens appeared in our lives. It is also interesting that they are not at all mutually exclusive, which means that both have the right to exist:

1. In the first version, the invention of microwaves is attributed to the Nazis. During hostilities, wasting time preparing food could cost lives. To solve this problem, they came up with such a device. Later, research documents and versions of the first furnaces were received by researchers from large countries, including Russia.
2. According to the second version, the invention of the microwave oven is attributed to the American engineer Percy Spencer, who proved the effect on food. While conducting his research, he found out that waves of a certain frequency emit a large amount of heat.

Percy Spencer - inventor of the microwave oven

Spencer filed a patent for his invention on October 8, 1945. And the first oven was produced in 1947. True, only the military used it and only for defrosting food.

Disputes between scientists and criticism of microwave ovens

For many years, the widespread use of microwave ovens remained in doubt. Scientists argued that under the influence of waves, the molecular composition of products changes, which can lead to cancer.

They placed special emphasis in their evidence on the fact that for microwave operation a completely sealed space is necessary, and not a tightly packed one. closed door, which can have a detrimental effect on health.

Many studies have been conducted, the results of which were very questionable. However, negative PR is also PR, and no official confirmation has been received. The publications reported the following information:

1. Microwave ovens are harmful to children's dishes, since dairy products under the influence of waves become toxic and contribute to damage to the nervous system.
2. By influencing water molecules, parts of the waves remain in them and enter the human body. In the experimental subjects, hemoglobin decreased and cholesterol increased.
3. Other studies have shown that microwaves don't just stay in food, but affect and change the composition. Some experiments have shown that such changes can affect personality degeneration, as evidenced by an increase in the number of white cells in the blood and an imbalance in cholesterol levels.
4. Cholesterol is formed in any food that is prepared in microwave devices.

Experiments confirm that dishes processed in the microwave not only change, but also lose beneficial features . According to Russian scientists, the nutritional level of foods drops to 90%.

Let's protect our citizens!

It is known that for some time microwaves were not just criticized. I wonder why in the USSR were banned microwaves? The answer to this question lies in the research and experiments of Soviet scientists who concluded that:

1. Microwaves speed up the breakdown process of substances.
2. Microwaves promote the formation of cancerous compounds in foods. This occurs through the interaction of water molecules and modified proteins.
3. Metabolism is disrupted, since the products we absorb have an unusual structure.
4. Changes in products lead to disruption of the body's protective functions.
5. Stomach problems may occur, including the formation of cancerous tumors.
6. Cancer cells appear in the blood.
7. The body stops absorbing many vitamins needed by the digestive system.
8. The microwave creates a field that is detrimental to your health.

Market Capture

Despite all the fears and publications, microwave ovens were actively produced and sold. The American inventor had no doubt about the effectiveness of his product, despite the indignation and criticism of scientists.

Here are a few stages that furnaces have gone through from their inception to the present day:

1. The first ovens were incredibly bulky and reached a height of about 1.8 meters. The devices weighed approximately 1.5 tons, which did not allow the device to be moved without assistance. Their cost was approximately $1,000, which indicated that only very wealthy citizens could afford a microwave.
2. The stoves went on sale in 1962.
3. In 1966, the stoves began to be equipped with the usual rotating stand.
4. By 1979, the furnace was already controlled by a microprocessor.
5. And in 1999, control began to be carried out by a microcomputer. Such familiar functions as and appeared, and the oven itself began to be used not only for heating, but also for cooking.

It is interesting that, despite all the intimidation of the press and scientists, by 1975 the level of microwave sales exceeded the sale of gas stoves. And in 1976, the popularity of microwaves eclipsed dishwashers.

Conclusion

All that remains is to thank Percy Spencer for creating such a miracle of electronics. After all modern kitchen unthinkable without a microwave. Rumors about its harmful effects are greatly exaggerated: everything new and unknown in any case faces negative criticism. It is important that today's ovens are safe (subject to compliance) and are simply irreplaceable in any kitchen.

The modern pace of life dictates its own rules. There are increasingly not enough hours in the day, work is not limited to sitting in the office from 9 to 18, and visits to the gym/psychologist/all kinds of courses need to be squeezed into an already busy schedule. And no one cancels correct mode nutrition: eating 4-5 times a day is necessary for proper functioning internal organs and for your own comfort. After all, how much energy is wasted every day! So, so that cooking does not take much time, you need to prepare it in advance, and then simply reheat it.

In the middle of the last century, science made a revolutionary discovery - a gadget was invented for heating food as quickly as possible. Who is the brilliant person who invented it, what were its first varieties - later in the article.

Microwave oven: who created it and when?

While using any gadget, few people think about how this device was invented. But in vain. After all, the story of when this or that gadget was invented is often very interesting. At least that's what happened with the microwave oven.

Stories about who invented it and when have become legends. But one thing is certain - back in 1945, Percy LeBaron Spencer had a hand in the creation of the microwave oven during his service at Raytheon. On October 8 this year, he patented a method for heating food using electromagnetic waves. The first machine operating on this principle was released in 1947 and bore little resemblance to modern devices: it was huge, the size of a man and weighing more than 300 kg. “Radarange” is the name the developer gave it. Interestingly, the scientist Spencer received only a small monetary reward for his brainchild, and all rights to release the gadget belonged to the company in which he was registered. Only after his death was he recognized as the one who invented and patented the microwave oven. And after a while his name was included in the Inventors Hall of Fame.

The first household microwave oven and the start of mass production

From the time the first microwave oven was invented, decades passed before its mass use. There were several reasons for this:

1. High cost of equipment;
2. Criticism of this gadget by scientists;
3. As a consequence of the second point, there is negative PR for this device in the press.

Despite these obstacles, work to improve and optimize microwaves has been quite active. And already in 1962, the Sharp company launched the first conveyor production of microwave ovens (by the way, the modern analogue of this company’s oven is very different from its predecessors).

Due to harsh criticism, the first production versions of the unit were not particularly popular, but time passed and microwave ovens nevertheless captured the market. In 1966, a rotating rack was developed to heat food evenly. From the time when the very first microwave oven was released until 1979, another transformation occurred: a microprocessor control system for the device appeared, which made it much easier to use. Such microwave ovens began to actively enter the family life of those times.

Modern microwave oven

According to statistics, more than 12.6 million microwave ovens were sold in the United States in 2000 alone! In those days, when the microwave oven first appeared, no one could have thought that it would be so transformed and improved. A grill function will appear, as in the model, a food defrosting mode and a timer. It is these “goodies” that you should pay attention to when choosing a gadget for home. Even office rooms, equipped with a kitchen, cannot do without a microwave oven. After all, saving time at lunch allows you to relax longer. As for control, microwave ovens are:

• mechanical;
• sensory.

Also, modern devices for heating food, unlike their predecessors, are equipped with a microwave protection system. Therefore, there is no need to worry about external radiation. For some, microwaves have even been able to replace ovens.

Half a century has passed from the moment the very first microwave ovens appeared to modern realities. During this time, this gadget has undergone total transformations both externally and internally. The table below provides a brief chronology of the development of this gadget:

	Event
1945	Percy Spencer developed a technology for heating food using electromagnetic waves and patented his invention.
1947	Launch of the first microwave oven, called "Radarange".
1962	The Sharp company launched conveyor production of microwave ovens.
1966	The same company has developed a stand that rotates while the microwave is operating.
1979	Microwave ovens with a microprocessor control system were released. The entry of the gadget into the masses

The microwave oven was released when no one expected it. And that's a fact. We must thank Percy Spencer for inventing such an ingenious way of heating food, whether by accident or design. After all, life without such an irreplaceable thing in the kitchen modern man would be much more complicated. And no matter what they say about the supposedly harmful effects of electromagnetic waves on food, no one is going to stop using the microwave oven.

Every conscientious historian who has been interested in the development of technological progress knows very well that the theory of using microwaves to heat food appeared in the mid-1920s. However, Percy Spencer, an American from Massachusetts, was the first to receive a patent for a microwave oven for defrosting and heating food on October 8, 1945. This date is considered the birthday of the microwave oven. According to popular legend, the idea of ​​this useful invention came to the scientist’s mind at the moment when a chocolate bar unexpectedly melted in his pocket. Surprised, Spencer began to look for the cause of the unpleasant emergency and soon realized that the reason for such incorrect behavior of the chocolate bar was the magnetron near which he was standing. As is known, this particular device generates microwave electromagnetic radiation. A worthy legend for an invention useful in the household, which was quickly adopted by military canteens and large restaurants. It should be noted that the first microwave ovens were large and heavy. With a height of about two meters, their weight reached about 340 kg. Those microwave ovens to which we are accustomed began to appear in the West only in the 1960s, and in the USSR from the second half of the 1970s. However, the modern historiography of the appearance of the first microwave ovens is not reliable. In fact, they were invented in the USSR on the eve of the Great Patriotic War.

The problem with the prevalence of oncology did not appear yesterday. But right now, after the word “cancer,” doctors say “epidemic.”

According to an international non-profit organization, 12 million new cases of cancer are recorded annually in the world.

The growth is associated with the aging of the population, with changes in lifestyle caused by life in megacities. About 2.8 million people a year get cancer due to bad habits, poor nutrition, and excess weight, said Foundation spokesman Martin Wiseman. “In less than 10 years, cancer numbers have increased by 20%. The numbers are, of course, terrible.

Let's try to look at this terrible trend from a different perspective, let's combine it with the technological development of mankind, namely, with the emergence microwave ovens. Knowing about the works and patents of Ph.D. Shironosova V.G. and Doctor of Medical Sciences Khachatryan A.P. (read the WATER section of this site), which are embodied in therapeutic methods and devices for household/medical purposes, we will consider oncological diseases through the “prism of water”, which is what a person actually consists of.

Microwave oven or microwave oven

This is an electrical appliance based on a magnetron, designed for quickly cooking or heating food, defrosting food in the home using electromagnetic waves in the UHF range (usually with a frequency of 2450 MHz). Cell phone and local radio communication systems also operate in this range, for example, using protocols Bluetooth And WiFi used by wireless electronic devices.

Unlike classic ovens (for example, oven or Russian oven), heating food in microwave oven occurs not only from the surface, but also throughout the volume of the product containing polar molecules (such as water) as a result dipole shift under the influence of an alternating electric field, since radio waves of this frequency penetrate and are absorbed by food products at a depth of approximately 2.5 cm.

For better heating, the frequency of the alternating electric field must be set in such a way that the molecules have time to completely rearrange themselves during the half-cycle. Since water is contained in almost all products, the frequency of the microwave emitter of the microwave oven was selected for better heating of water molecules in the liquid state, while ice, fat and sugar heat up much worse.

Ice holds frozen water molecules in crystal lattice, require a lower frequency for the dipole shift (kilohertz instead of gigahertz, for example, 33 kHz is used to remove ice from power lines), and the radiation frequency used in microwave oven turns out to be not optimal.

There is a widespread belief that microwave heats food from the inside out. In fact, microwaves go from the outside to the inside and are retained in the outer layers of food, so heating a uniformly moist product occurs in approximately the same way as in an oven (to be convinced of this, just heat the boiled potatoes “in their jackets,” where the thin skin sufficiently protects the product from drying out).

The misconception is due to the fact that microwave do not affect dry non-conductive materials, which are usually on the surface of products, and therefore their heating in some cases begins deeper than with other heating methods (bread products, for example, are heated from the inside, and it is for this reason that bread and The buns have a dried out crust on the outside, and most of the moisture is concentrated inside).

The change in the properties of water pumped with microwave energy is so serious that it can overheat above the boiling point!

Microwaves "bomb" water molecules in food, causing them to spin at millions of times per second, creating molecular friction that heats the food. This friction causes significant damage to food molecules, breaking or deforming them.

Simply put, microwave causes decay and changes in the molecular structure of food during the radiation process and the food becomes “dead”, moreover, dead in the literal sense of the word, and this state should not be confused with

A living example from Marshall Dudley in the form of an experiment conducted in 2006. Filtered water is poured into two containers. In the first, water is heated to boiling on a regular stove, and in the second, water is heated to boiling in microwave. After cooling, the water is used to water specially prepared two absolutely identical plants.

It was expected that the plant watered with water boiled on the stove would grow more intensively, but the experiment had to be stopped on the 9th day, because... plant watered with water boiled in microwave began to fade and died.

Who invented microwave ovens?

There are several versions:

1. The Nazis invented the microwave oven for their military operations - “ radiomissor". The time spent on cooking in this case was sharply reduced, which made it possible to concentrate on other tasks. After the war, the Allies discovered medical research carried out by the Germans with microwave ovens. These documents, as well as some working models, were transferred to the United States for “further Scientific research" The Russians also obtained a number of such models and conducted extensive studies of their biological effects.

2. American engineer Percy Spencer first noticed the ability of microwave radiation to heat products and patented microwave oven. At the time of the invention, Spencer was working for the company Raytheon, which manufactures radar equipment. The patent for the microwave oven was issued on October 8, 1945 ( which makes version #1 quite viable, but not the main one).

The world's first microwave oven "Radarange" was released in 1947 by the company Raytheon and was not intended for cooking, but for quickly defrosting food and was used exclusively by the military (in soldiers' canteens and canteens of military hospitals).

However, application microwave ovens It was banned for some time in the Soviet Union. The USSR published an international warning about substances harmful to health, biological and environmental, resulting from exposure to microwaves. Eastern European scientists also identified the harmful effects of microwave radiation and created strict environmental restrictions on their use.

3. that in its issue dated June 13, 1941, a note described a special installation that used ultra-high frequency currents for processing meat products and was developed in the magnetic wave laboratory of the All-Union Research Institute of the Meat Industry, which indicates the primacy of the USSR in this invention. IN THE USSR microwaves began to be produced in the early 80s. A search on the website of the newspaper “Trud” brings up , but it itself is not available...

“The first special installation, which makes it possible to use ultra-high frequency currents for processing meat products, was developed in the magnetic wave laboratory of the All-Union Research Institute of the Meat Industry, and, as the journalist describes, in this unit it was possible to melt fats, cook sausages, defrost meat.

And, for example, cooking a ham took only 15–20 minutes instead of 5–7 hours using existing technology. In addition to the time benefit, economic benefits are also emphasized - cutting production costs by half and improving product quality.

So why was this miracle installation, which would have been several years ahead of its American counterpart, not put into mass production? There may be many reasons for this, but the main one, apparently, was the war that struck our country eight days later. History is also silent about whether those who were involved in the development survived.”

Modern research:

Microwaves are dangerous for children!

Some of the amino acids L-proline, which are part of mother's milk, as well as milk formulas for children, are converted under the influence of microwaves into d-isomers, which are considered neurotoxic (deform the nervous system) and nephrotoxic (toxic to the kidneys). It is a tragedy that many children are fed on artificial milk substitutes (baby formula), which are made even more toxic by microwave ovens.

Scientific data and facts

In a comparative study "Cooking in the Microwave", published in 1992 in the USA, states:

“From a medical point of view, it is believed that introducing molecules exposed to microwaves into the human body has a much greater chance of causing harm than benefit. Microwave food contains microwave energy in molecules that is not present in traditionally prepared foods."

A short-term study showed that people who consumed cooked in microwave oven milk and vegetables, the composition of the blood changed, hemoglobin decreased and cholesterol increased, while in people who ate the same food, but prepared in the traditional way, the state of the body did not change.

Swiss clinical trials

Dr. Hans Ulrich Hertel participated in a similar study and worked for many years in one of the large Swiss companies. Several years ago, she was fired from her position for disclosing the results of these experiments.

In 1991, she and a professor at the University of Lausanne published a study showing that food cooked in a microwave oven may pose a health risk compared to cooked food. traditional ways. The article was also presented in the magazine “Franz Weber” No. 19, where it was said that atconsumption of food prepared in microwave ovens, has a malignant effect on the blood.

At intervals of two to five days, volunteers received one of the following meals on an empty stomach:

1. raw milk
2. the same milk, heated in the traditional way
3. pasteurized milk
4. the same milk heated in the microwave
5. fresh vegetables
6. the same vegetables cooked traditionally
7. frozen vegetables, defrosted in the traditional way
8. the same vegetables cooked in the microwave

Blood samples were taken from volunteers immediately before each meal. Then blood tests were performed at certain intervals after taking milk and plant products.

Significant changes were found in the blood at meal intervals exposed to microwave oven. These changes included a reduction in hemoglobin and changes in cholesterol composition, especially the ratio HDL(good cholesterol) and LDL(bad cholesterol).

The number increased lymphocytes(white blood cells). All these indicators indicate degeneration. In addition, part of the microwave energy remains in food, consuming which a person is exposed to microwave radiation.

Radiation leads to the destruction and deformation of food molecules. creates new compounds that do not exist in nature, called radiolytic. Radiolytic compounds create molecular rot- as a direct consequence of radiation.

As soon as Dr. Hertel And Dr. Blank published the research results, officials responded instantly. Powerful trade Organization– The Swedish Home and Industrial Electronics Dealers Association (FEA) struck in 1992. They forced the president of the Seftigen County Court of Berne to issue an order banning the publication of research materials. In March 1993 Dr. Hertel was accused of collaborating with commercial entities and was banned from further publication of research results. However Dr. Hertel stood his ground and fought this decision for many years.

On August 25, 1998, this decision was overturned after a trial that took place in Strasbourg (Australia). The European Court of Human Rights found that there was a violation of rights in the 1993 decision Dr. Hertel. The European Court of Human Rights also recognized that the order banning public disclosure of information on the health hazards of microwave ovens Dr. Hertel by a Swiss court in 1992, violated the right to freedom of speech. Moreover, Switzerland was ordered to pay Dr. Hertel compensation.

Microwave manufacturers claim that microwaved food does not have much difference in composition compared to traditionally processed food. But not a single public university in the United States has conducted a single study on the effects of modified food in a microwave oven on the human body.

But there is a lot of research about what will happen if the door microwaves not closed. Isn't this a little strange? Common sense dictates that attention should be paid to what happens to food cooked in a microwave oven. One can only guess how molecular rot from the microwave will affect our health in the future!

Microwave carcinogens

In a magazine article "Earthletter" in March and September 1991, Dr. Lita Lee, provides some facts about the operation of microwave ovens. In particular, she stated that everything microwaves have leaks of electromagnetic radiation, and also deteriorate the quality of food, converting its substances into toxic and carcinogenic compounds. The research summaries summarized in this article show that microwaves, cause much more harm than previously imagined.

Below is a summary Russian studies published Atlantis Raising Educational Center in Portland, Oregon. They say that carcinogens were formed in almost all food products exposed to microwave irradiation. Here is a summary of some of these results:

• Cooking meat in a microwave oven creates a known carcinogen -d Nitrosodienthanolamines
• Some of the amino acids found in milk and grain products have been transformed into carcinogens.
• Defrosting some frozen fruits changes their composition glucoside galactoside carcinogenic substances.
• Even a short exposure of fresh, cooked or frozen vegetables to microwaves converts alkaloids into carcinogens.
• Carcinogenic free radicals were formed under the influence of plant foods, especially root vegetables. Their nutritional value was also reduced.

Russian scientists also discovered a decrease in the nutritional value of food when exposed to microwaves from 60 to 90%!

Consequences of exposure to carcinogens

Creation of cancer agents in protein compounds - hydrolysate. In milk and cereals these are natural proteins that, under the influence microwaves break apart and mix with water molecules, creating carcinogenic formations.

• Changing elementary nutrients, the consequence is disorders in the digestive system caused by metabolic disorders.
• Due to chemical changes in foods, shifts in the lymphatic system have been noticed, leading to degeneration of the immune system.
• Absorption of irradiated food leads to an increase in the percentage cancer cells in blood serum.
• Defrosting and heating vegetables and fruits leads to the oxidation of the alcoholic compounds they contain.
• Exposure of raw vegetables, especially root vegetables, to microwaves promotes the formation of free radicals in mineral compounds, causing cancer diseases.
• Due to eating foods prepared in microwave oven, there is a predisposition to the development of cancer of intestinal tissues, as well as general degeneration of peripheral tissues with the gradual destruction of the functions of the digestive system.

Direct proximity to a microwave oven

According to Russian scientists, it causes the following problems:

• Deformation of the composition of the blood and lymphatic areas;
• Degeneration and destabilization of the internal potential of cell membranes;
• Disturbance of electrical nerve impulses in the brain;
• Degeneration and decay of nerve endings and loss of energy in the area of ​​nerve centers both in the anterior and posterior central and autonomic nervous systems;
• In the long term, the cumulative loss of vital energy, animals and plants that are within a radius of 500 meters from the equipment.

Serial production of furnaces started by the company Raytheon in the USA in 1949. First serial household microwave oven was released by a Japanese company Sharp in 1962.

And this is the graph from which the study of the issue and the writing of this article began. I would be grateful for links to similar graphs on oncology in other countries.