Amana Radarange microwave oven
From RetroTech, the online museum of 20th century technology.
The microwave oven was invented in 1946 Dr. Percy Spencer at the Raytheon Corporation. Although commercial models were available beginning in 1947, it took 20 years for Raytheon to develop a countertop model for household use. Raytheon's acquisition of Amana Refrigeration in 1965 helped them develop their technology for home use. The first version of the Amana “Radarange” would change forever how we cook and eat. The list price of the Radarange was $495 in 1968 and was sold with its own cookbook. The name of this revolutionary appliance was soon changed to "microwave oven" to avoid the negative connotations that the public associated with the word "radar." The Amana Radarange on display at the museum is a Model RR-4D from 1974. The mid-1970s were when sales of microwave ovens really took off: in 1975, more microwave ovens were sold than gas ranges.
