The Godfathers of Energy Efficiency, Part 3, Microwave

I believe all of these Godfathers share one attribute, an amazing force of character. However, the inventor of the microwave oven takes the top award in this category.

Percy Spencer was born in Howland, Maine in 1894. Eighteen months later, Spencer’s father died, and his mother soon left him in the care of his aunt and uncle. His uncle then died when Spencer was just seven years old. Spencer subsequently left grammar school to earn money to support himself and his aunt. 

When Percy was 12, he discovered that a local paper mill was soon to begin using electricity, a concept little known in his rural home region, and he began learning as much as possible about the phenomenon. He applied to the mill, and he was hired to install electricity in the plant, despite never having received any formal training in electrical engineering or even finishing grammar school.

At the age of 18, Spencer joined the U.S. Navy. He had become interested in wireless communications, so he made himself an expert on radio technology: He also subsequently taught himself trigonometry, calculus, chemistry, physics, and metallurgy.

By 1939, Spencer became one of the world’s leading experts in radar tube design…