JOURNAL ARTICLE

THE MASSIVE MICROWAVE OVEN AND OTHER HOME APPLIANCE FIRSTS.

  • Published In: How It Works, 2026, n. 214. P. 50 1 of 3

  • Database: Science Reference Ultimate 2 of 3

  • Authored By: HARVEY, AILSA 3 of 3

Abstract

The article explores the historical development of various household appliances, highlighting their early prototypes and technological evolution. It details the accidental invention of the microwave oven by American engineer Percy Spencer in 1945, the first commercial microwave called Radarange in 1947, and the introduction of countertop microwaves by Amana in 1967. It also covers the origins of the electric refrigerator, invented by Frederick William Wolf Jr. in 1913, which initially used toxic sulphur dioxide as a refrigerant. Other inventions discussed include the hand-cranked washing machine by Jacob Christian Schäffer (1767), the commercial espresso machine by Desiderio Pavoni, the horse-drawn vacuum cleaner by Hubert Cecil Booth, and the first electric toothbrush designed in 1954 for people with limited motor skills. The article further traces the evolution of electric stoves from the 1892 electric range by Thomas Ahearn to the adoption of induction stoves in the 1980s. [Extracted from the article]

Additional Information

  • Source:How It Works. 2026/04, Issue 214, p50
  • Document Type:Article
  • Subject Area:Biography
  • Publication Date:2026
  • ISSN:2041-7322
  • Accession Number:192420521
  • Copyright Statement:Copyright of How It Works is the property of Future Publishing Ltd. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Looking to go deeper into this topic? Look for more articles on EBSCOhost.