Percy Spencer
American physicist and electrical engineerWikipedia
10
MENTIONS
7
EPISODES
6
PODCASTS
Search complete. 10 mentions across 7 episodes found for "Percy Spencer".
Sep 4, 2026
Marcus JohnsonHOST
accident.
Marcus JohnsonHOST
The microwave, that was Percy Spencer, 1945, stood next to something, a magnetron tube and a chocolate bar in his pocket melted.
Marcus JohnsonHOST
He was like, oh, there's something into this.
Marcus JohnsonHOST
Dr. Spencer Silver, a chemist at 3M, was trying to make a super strong adhesive and he ended up making the post-it note.
speaker_8NARRATOR
On this day in 1984, Discovery's maiden voyage, exactly one year after Bluford's flight, the space shuttle Discovery successfully launched on its very first mission into space.
speaker_8NARRATOR
On this day in 1949, the microwave popcorn by Percy Spencer, the inventor of the microwave, received the original patent for microwave popcorn.
speaker_8NARRATOR
His early design actually popped the kernels while they were still on the cob.
speaker_8NARRATOR
The naughty Apple record.
speaker_1NARRATOR
On this day in 1984, Discovery's maiden voyage, exactly one year after Bluford's flight, the space shuttle Discovery successfully launched on its very first mission into space.
speaker_1NARRATOR
On this day in 1949, the microwave popcorn by Percy Spencer, the inventor of the microwave, received the original patent for microwave popcorn.
speaker_1NARRATOR
His early design actually popped the kernels while they were still on the cob.
speaker_1NARRATOR
the naughty Apple record.
Kyran NicholsonHOST
Question number seven.
Kyran NicholsonHOST
Percy Spencer invented the household microwave oven after an experiment involving what? It's multiple choice.
Robyn ReynoldsGUEST
Is it?
Kyran NicholsonHOST
Yeah.
19 MINS LATER
Robyn ReynoldsGUEST
Is that how Daniel Radcliffe answers the phone? 'Cause that's pretty funny.
Kyran NicholsonHOST
[laughs] Question number seven.
Kyran NicholsonHOST
Percy Spencer invented the household microwave oven after an experiment involving, you said a magnetron that melted his candy bar.
Robyn ReynoldsGUEST
Did I say that, or did I say I don't know? [laughs]
speaker_3NARRATOR
Raytheon Corporation.
speaker_3NARRATOR
Percy Spencer is testing a military-grade magnetron, the tube that generates microwave radiation for radar systems.
speaker_3NARRATOR
He's standing in front of an active magnetron when he notices the chocolate bar in his pocket has melted.
speaker_3NARRATOR
Now, most people would think, huh, that's weird, and move on with their day.
speaker_3NARRATOR
Percy Spencer is not most people.
speaker_3NARRATOR
He goes and gets popcorn kernels.
speaker_3NARRATOR
puts them near the magnetron.
speaker_3NARRATOR
Compact, efficient, no open flame, takes another 20 years before consumer models get cheap enough and small enough for home use.
Nancy HugoHOST
The microwave oven was developed from technology discovered during radar research in the 1940s.
Nancy HugoHOST
The famous story involves an engineer named Percy Spencer who was working with magnetrons used in radar equipment.
Nancy HugoHOST
According to the well-known story, he noticed that microwave energy had affected food he was carrying, most famously, a candy bar.
Nancy HugoHOST
That led to experiments with using microwave energy to heat food.