>>213582035
>And yet, the guy who invented the microwave for $2 never made anything else of note.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_N._Hall
Robert Noel Hall (December 25, 1919 – November 7, 2016) was an American engineer and applied physicist. He demonstrated the first semiconductor laser and invented a type of magnetron commonly used in microwave ovens. He also contributed to the development of rectifiers for power transmission.
While at General Electric during World War II, he developed a magnetron for radar jamming, which led to the development of the microwave oven.[3] While studying the characteristics of p-i-n diodes used as power rectifiers, Hall had a key insight, which resulted in his being co-credited with William Shockley and W. T. Read, Jr., for the analysis of nonradiative carrier recombination in semiconductors. Hall developed the first semiconductor laser diode in 1962, while working at General Electric in Schenectady, New York.[4] In the 1970s, Hall's work focused on photovoltaics and solar cells. He retired in 1987, having been granted 43 U.S. patents during his career.
https://lemelson.mit.edu/resources/percy-spencer
Percy L. Spencer is best remembered for creating one of the most iconic kitchen appliances, the microwave oven.
Spencer and Raytheon put much effort into developing the microwave oven to be used for cooking purposes and filed for a patent on October 8, 1945. He was later awarded the patent on January 24, 1950. The first commercial microwave oven was called “Radarange,” marketed in 1947. It was a different sight from today’s microwaves, costing $3,000, weighing about 750 pounds and standing 6 feet tall. It took about 20 years before a more convenient-looking microwave was ready for home-use.
Spencer obtained over 100 patents and retired from Raytheon, passing away on September 7, 1970. He was inducted into the Inventors Hall of Fame in 1999.
