Raytheon produced the first commercial microwave oven, the Radarange, in 1947.
Raytheon developed the Radarange after engineer Percy Spencer discovered that microwave radiation from a magnetron could heat food. The first commercial model appeared in 1947 and was far larger and more expensive than modern household ovens.
Early Radarange units stood roughly six feet tall, weighed hundreds of kilograms, and required water cooling. They were initially used mainly in commercial settings such as restaurants and ships rather than ordinary kitchens.
Microwave ovens became more practical as manufacturers reduced their size and price. Household adoption accelerated in the 1960s and 1970s. The microwave oven’s history is often linked to radar technology because the key heating component, the magnetron, had been developed for radar systems during World War II.