Opened the microwave. Myths and disputes between scientists

History of invention microwave oven very interesting. Since this device was an obvious technical breakthrough and played a big role in changing Everyday life people, the history of its creation is overgrown with many different legends.

History of creation: alternative versions

According to one version, an engineer working for the Raytheon company, which specialized in the manufacture of equipment for wartime needs, Percy Spencer tested a microwave emitter he had made.

When Percy decided to grab a bite to eat, he found... chocolate bar, but a mass that looks like a paste. The engineer realized that the waves of the device he had designed had heated the chocolate. To make sure their guesses were correct, the next day Spencer and his colleague conducted an experiment in which they found out how microwaves act on eggs. Exposed to radiation with a power of 10 kW, the product exploded very quickly, almost splashing nearby researchers. After all the tests, Percy Spencer improved his invention by building fences to increase the density of the magnetic wave field. Thus, the food was heated, reaching temperatures of considerable magnitude. This random event gave rise to a new business bringing in multimillion-dollar profits.

But this is just one version. There is an opinion that this story was invented by members of the press. Many people worked long and painstakingly on the invention of the microwave oven. The Raytheon company, of which Percy Spencer was an employee, manufactured equipment for military needs, and during the Second World War this brought it a good income. But after the end of hostilities, the risk of stopping the flow of profits due to the uselessness of the products produced by the company increased significantly. And Raytheon decided to adapt production for peaceful life. The idea for the production of “microwaves” was developed and voiced at the meeting by Spencer. The management approved it and started the production of these devices.

Patent for invention

One way or another, in October 1945, Percy Spencer was able to register a patent for a device for cooking food using magnetic waves. But to bring the apparatus to the required level high level it took another 2 years of work. It was only in 1947 that the Raytheon company began producing the world's first microwave ovens.

Ambiguous perception of practical use

Initially, people treated the new invention quite cautiously, because the device was bulky and was cooled only with water. But further work on improving the stoves yielded results. People who could afford to buy a new product heated food much faster than before and cooked with fresher ingredients. Unexpectedly for the inventors, users discovered new possibilities of microwave ovens: they used them to produce leather and corks to make products suitable for production.

Current use of microwave ovens

Now this device is found in almost every kitchen in the world. It has greatly simplified the process of cooking and heating food and made life easier for millions of people. Manufacturers are improving devices, bringing their shapes and capabilities to the point of absurdity in order to satisfy the growing needs of the population.

The problem with the prevalence of oncology did not appear yesterday. But right now, after the word “cancer,” doctors say “epidemic.”

According to international non-profit organization Every year, 12 million new cases of cancer are recorded worldwide.

The growth is associated with the aging of the population, with changes in lifestyle caused by life in megacities. About 2.8 million people a year develop cancer due to bad habits, poor nutrition, excess weight– said the representative of the “Foundation” Martin Wiseman – In less than 10 years, cancer figures have increased by 20%. The numbers are, of course, terrible.

Let's try to look at this terrible trend from a different perspective, let's combine it with the technological development of mankind, namely, with the emergence microwave ovens. Knowing about the works and patents of Ph.D. Shironosova V.G. and Doctor of Medical Sciences Khachatryan A.P. (read the WATER section of this site), which are embodied in therapeutic methods and devices for household/medical purposes, we will consider oncological diseases through the “prism of water”, which is what a person actually consists of.

Microwave oven or microwave oven

This is a magnetron-based electrical device designed for instant cooking or heating food, defrosting food in everyday life using electromagnetic waves of the UHF range (usually with a frequency of 2450 MHz). Systems also operate in this range cell phones and local radio communications, for example, using protocols Bluetooth And WiFi used by wireless electronic devices.

Unlike classic ovens (for example, oven or Russian stove), heating food in microwave oven occurs not only from the surface, but also throughout the volume of the product containing polar molecules (such as water) as a result dipole shift under the influence of variable electric field, since radio waves of this frequency penetrate and are absorbed by food products at a depth of approximately 2.5 cm.

For better heating, the frequency of the alternating electric field must be set in such a way that the molecules have time to completely rearrange themselves during the half-cycle. Since water is contained in almost all products, the frequency of the microwave emitter of the microwave oven was selected for better heating of water molecules in the liquid state, while ice, fat and sugar heat up much worse.

In ice, frozen water molecules are held in a crystal lattice, require a lower frequency for dipole shift (kilohertz instead of gigahertz, for example, 33 kHz is used to remove ice from power lines), and the radiation frequency used in microwave oven turns out to be not optimal.

There is a widespread belief that microwave heats food from the inside out. In fact, microwaves go from the outside to the inside and are retained in the outer layers of food, so heating a uniformly moist product occurs in approximately the same way as in an oven (to be convinced of this, it is enough to heat boiled potatoes “in their jackets,” where the thin skin sufficiently protects the product from drying out).

The misconception is due to the fact that microwave do not affect dry non-conductive materials, which are usually on the surface of products, and therefore their heating in some cases begins deeper than with other heating methods (bread products, for example, are heated from the inside, and it is for this reason that bread and The buns have a dried out crust on the outside, and most of the moisture is concentrated inside).

The change in the properties of water pumped with microwave energy is so serious that it can overheat above the boiling point!

Microwaves "bomb" water molecules in food, causing them to spin at millions of times per second, creating molecular friction that heats the food. This friction causes significant damage food molecules, breaking or deforming them.

Simply put, microwave causes decay and changes in the molecular structure of food during the radiation process and the food becomes “dead”, moreover, dead in the literal sense of the word, and this state should not be confused with

A living example from Marshall Dudley in the form of an experiment conducted in 2006. Filtered water is poured into two containers. In the first, water is heated to boiling on a regular stove, and in the second, water is heated to boiling in microwave. After cooling, the water is used to water specially prepared two absolutely identical plants.

It was expected that the plant watered with water boiled on the stove would grow more intensively, but the experiment had to be stopped on the 9th day, because... plant watered with water boiled in microwave began to fade and died.

Who invented microwave ovens?

There are several versions:

1. The Nazis invented the microwave oven for their military operations - “ radiomissor". The time spent on cooking in this case was sharply reduced, which made it possible to concentrate on other tasks. After the war, the Allies discovered medical research conducted by the Germans with microwave ovens. These documents, as well as some working models, were transferred to the United States for “further Scientific research" The Russians also obtained a number of such models and conducted extensive studies of their biological effects.

2. American engineer Percy Spencer first noticed the ability of microwave radiation to heat products and patented microwave oven. At the time of the invention, Spencer was working for the company Raytheon, which manufactures radar equipment. The patent for the microwave oven was issued on October 8, 1945 ( which makes version #1 quite viable, but not the main one).

The world's first microwave oven "Radarange" was released in 1947 by the company Raytheon and was not intended for cooking, but for quickly defrosting food and was used exclusively by the military (in soldiers' canteens and canteens of military hospitals).

However, application microwave ovens It was banned for some time in the Soviet Union. The USSR published an international warning about substances harmful to health, biological and environmental, resulting from exposure to microwaves. Eastern European scientists also identified harmful effects microwave radiation and created strict environmental restrictions on their use.

3. that in its issue dated June 13, 1941, a note described a special installation that used ultra-high frequency currents for processing meat products and was developed in the magnetic wave laboratory of the All-Union Research Institute meat industry, which indicates the primacy of the USSR in this invention. IN THE USSR microwaves began to be produced in the early 80s. A search on the website of the newspaper “Trud” brings up , but it itself is not available...

“The first special installation, which makes it possible to use ultra-high frequency currents for processing meat products, was developed in the magnetic wave laboratory of the All-Union Research Institute of the Meat Industry, and, as the journalist describes, in this unit it was possible to melt fats, cook sausages, defrost meat.

And, for example, cooking a ham took only 15–20 minutes instead of 5–7 hours using existing technology. In addition to the temporary it is emphasized and economic benefit- cutting production costs by half and improving product quality.

So why was this miracle installation, which would have been several years ahead of its American counterpart, not put into mass production? There may be many reasons for this, but the main one, apparently, was the war that struck our country eight days later. History is also silent about whether those who were involved in the development survived.”

Modern research:

Microwaves are dangerous for children!

Some of the amino acids L-proline, which are part of mother's milk, as well as milk formulas for children, are converted under the influence of microwaves into d-isomers, which are considered neurotoxic (deform nervous system) and nephrotoxic (poisonous to the kidneys). It is a disaster that many children are fed on artificial milk substitutes ( baby food), which become even more toxic with microwave ovens.

In a comparative study "Cooking in the Microwave", published in 1992 in the USA, states:

"WITH medical point view, it is believed that an introduction to human body molecules exposed to microwaves are much more likely to cause harm than good. Microwave food contains microwave energy in molecules that is not present in traditionally prepared foods."

A short-term study showed that people who consumed cooked in microwave oven milk and vegetables, the composition of the blood changed, hemoglobin decreased and cholesterol increased, while in people who ate the same food, but prepared in the traditional way, the state of the body did not change.

Dr. Hans Ulrich Hertel participated in a similar study and worked for many years in one of the large Swiss companies. Several years ago, she was fired from her position for disclosing the results of these experiments.

In 1991, she and a professor at the University of Lausanne published a study showing that food cooked in a microwave oven may pose a health risk compared to cooked food. traditional ways. The article was also presented in the magazine “Franz Weber” No. 19, where it was said that atconsumption of food prepared in microwave ovens, has a malignant effect on the blood.

At intervals of two to five days, volunteers received one of the following meals on an empty stomach:

1. raw milk
2. the same milk, heated in the traditional way
3. pasteurized milk
4. the same milk heated in the microwave
5. fresh vegetables
6. the same vegetables cooked traditionally
7. frozen vegetables, defrosted in the traditional way
8. the same vegetables cooked in the microwave

Blood samples were taken from volunteers immediately before each meal. Then blood tests were performed at certain intervals after taking milk and plant products.

Significant changes were found in the blood at meal intervals exposed to microwave oven. These changes included a reduction in hemoglobin and changes in cholesterol composition, especially the ratio HDL(good cholesterol) and LDL(bad cholesterol).

The number increased lymphocytes(white blood cells). All these indicators indicate degeneration. In addition, part of the microwave energy remains in food, consuming which a person is exposed to microwave radiation.

Radiation leads to the destruction and deformation of food molecules. creates new compounds that do not exist in nature, called radiolytic. Radiolytic compounds create molecular rot- as a direct consequence of radiation.

As soon as Dr. Hertel And Dr. Blank published research results, officials reacted instantly. Powerful trade Organization– The Swedish Home and Industrial Electronics Dealers Association (FEA) struck in 1992. They forced the president of the Seftigen County Court of Berne to issue an order banning the publication of research materials. In March 1993 Dr. Hertel was accused of collaborating with commercial structures and was banned further publications research results. However Dr. Hertel stood his ground and fought this decision for many years.

On August 25, 1998, this decision was reversed after judicial trial, which took place in Strasbourg (Australia). European Court on human rights found that the 1993 decision had violated the rights of Dr. Hertel. The European Court of Human Rights also recognized that the order banning public disclosure of information on the health hazards of microwave ovens Dr. Hertel by a Swiss court in 1992, violated the right to freedom of speech. Moreover, Switzerland was ordered to pay Dr. Hertel compensation.

Microwave oven manufacturers state that microwaved food does not have big difference in composition, compared to food processed by traditional methods. But not one State University in the United States has not conducted a single study on the effects of modified food in a microwave oven on the human body.

But there is a lot of research about what will happen if the door microwaves not closed. Isn't this a little strange? Common sense dictates that attention should be paid to what happens to food cooked in a microwave oven. One can only guess how molecular rot from the microwave will affect our health in the future!

Microwave carcinogens

In a magazine article "Earthletter" in March and September 1991, Dr. Lita Lee, provides some facts about the operation of microwave ovens. In particular, she stated that everything microwaves have leaks of electromagnetic radiation, and also deteriorate the quality of food, converting its substances into toxic and carcinogenic compounds. The research summaries summarized in this article show that microwaves, cause much more harm than previously imagined.

Below is a summary Russian studies published Atlantis Raising Educational Center in Portland, Oregon. They say that carcinogens were formed in almost all food products exposed to microwave irradiation. Here is a summary of some of these results:

• Cooking meat in a microwave oven creates a known carcinogen -d Nitrosodienthanolamines
• Some of the amino acids found in milk and grain products have been transformed into carcinogens.
• Defrosting some frozen fruits changes their composition glucoside galactoside carcinogenic substances.
• Even a short exposure of fresh, cooked or frozen vegetables to microwaves converts alkaloids into carcinogens.
• Carcinogenic free radicals were formed by exposure to plant foods, especially root vegetables. Their nutritional value was also reduced.

Russian scientists also discovered a decrease in the nutritional value of food when exposed to microwaves from 60 to 90%!

Consequences of exposure to carcinogens

Creation of cancer agents in protein compounds - hydrolysate. In milk and cereals these are natural proteins that, under the influence microwaves break apart and mix with water molecules, creating carcinogenic formations.

• Changes in elementary nutrients, resulting in disorders in digestive system caused by metabolic disorders.
• Due to chemical changes in foods, shifts in the lymphatic system have been noticed, leading to degeneration of the immune system.
• Absorption of irradiated food leads to an increase in the percentage cancer cells in blood serum.
• Defrosting and heating vegetables and fruits leads to the oxidation of the alcoholic compounds they contain.
• Exposure to microwaves raw vegetables, especially root vegetables, contributes to the formation of free radicals in mineral compounds, causing cancer diseases.
• Due to eating foods prepared in microwave oven, there is a predisposition to the development of cancer of intestinal tissues, as well as general degeneration of peripheral tissues with the gradual destruction of the functions of the digestive system.

Direct proximity to a microwave oven

According to Russian scientists, it causes the following problems:

• Deformation of the composition of the blood and lymphatic areas;
• Degeneration and destabilization of the internal potential of cell membranes;
• Disturbance of electrical nerve impulses in the brain;
• Degeneration and decay of nerve endings and loss of energy in the area of ​​nerve centers both in the anterior and posterior central and autonomic nervous systems;
• In the long term, the cumulative loss of vital energy, animals and plants that are within a radius of 500 meters from the equipment.

Serial production of furnaces started by the company Raytheon in the USA in 1949. First serial household microwave oven was released by a Japanese company Sharp in 1962.

And this is the graph from which the study of the issue and the writing of this article began. I would be grateful for links to similar graphs on oncology in other countries.

Not only microwave ovens operate on the basis of electromagnetic waves. The same principles of physics are used in telephony and radio communications. The work process is designed in such a way that the waves accelerate water molecules, thereby allowing the products to heat up (for more details, see the article). So who invented such an indispensable device today as a microwave oven?

Exists two versions how microwave ovens appeared in our lives. It is also interesting that they are not at all mutually exclusive, which means that both have the right to exist:

1. In the first version, the invention of microwaves is attributed to the Nazis. During hostilities, wasting time preparing food could cost lives. To solve this problem, they came up with such a device. Later, research documents and versions of the first furnaces were received by researchers from large countries, including Russia.
2. According to the second version, the invention of the microwave oven is attributed to American engineer Percy Spencer, who has proven the effects on products. Carrying out his research, he found out that waves of a certain frequency emit a large number of heat.

Percy Spencer - inventor of the microwave oven

Spencer filed a patent for his invention on October 8, 1945. And the first oven was produced in 1947. True, only the military used it and only for defrosting food.

Disputes between scientists and criticism of microwave ovens

For many years, the widespread use of microwave ovens remained in doubt. Scientists argued that under the influence of waves, the molecular composition of products changes, which can lead to cancer.

They placed special emphasis in their evidence on the fact that for microwave operation a completely sealed space is necessary, and not a tightly packed one. closed door, which can have a detrimental effect on health.

Many studies have been conducted, the results of which were very questionable. However, negative PR is also PR, and official confirmation it never did. The publications reported the following information:

1. Microwave ovens are harmful to children's dishes, since dairy products under the influence of waves become toxic and contribute to damage to the nervous system.
2. By influencing water molecules, parts of the waves remain in them and enter the human body. In the experimental subjects, hemoglobin fell and cholesterol increased.
3. Other studies have shown that microwaves don't just stay in food, but affect and change the composition. Some experiments have shown that such changes can affect personality degeneration, as evidenced by an increase in the number of white cells in the blood and an imbalance in cholesterol levels.
4. Cholesterol is formed in any food that is prepared in microwave devices.

Experiments confirm that dishes processed in the microwave not only change, but also lose beneficial features . According to Russian scientists, the nutritional level of foods drops to 90%.

Let's protect our citizens!

It is known that for some time microwaves were not just criticized. I wonder why in the USSR were banned microwaves? The answer to this question lies in the research and experiments of Soviet scientists who concluded that:

1. Microwaves speed up the breakdown process of substances.
2. Microwaves promote the formation of cancerous compounds in foods. This occurs through the interaction of water molecules and modified proteins.
3. Metabolism is disrupted, since the products we absorb have an unusual structure.
4. Changes in products lead to disruption protective functions body.
5. Stomach problems may occur, including the formation of cancerous tumors.
6. Cancer cells appear in the blood.
7. The body stops absorbing many vitamins needed by the digestive system.
8. The microwave creates a field that is detrimental to your health.

Market Capture

Despite all the fears and publications, microwave ovens were actively produced and sold. American inventor did not doubt the effectiveness of his product, despite the indignation and criticism of scientists.

Here are a few stages that furnaces have gone through from their inception to the present day:

1. The first ovens were incredibly bulky and reached a height of about 1.8 meters. The devices weighed approximately 1.5 tons, which did not allow the device to be moved without outside help. Their cost was approximately $1,000, which indicated that only very wealthy citizens could afford a microwave.
2. The stoves went on sale in 1962.
3. In 1966, the stoves began to be equipped with the usual rotating stand.
4. By 1979, the furnace was already controlled by a microprocessor.
5. And in 1999, control began to be carried out by a microcomputer. Such familiar functions as and appeared, and the oven itself began to be used not only for heating, but also for cooking.

It is interesting that, despite all the intimidation of the press and scientists, by 1975 the level of microwave sales exceeded the sale of gas stoves. And in 1976, the popularity of microwaves eclipsed dishwashers.

Conclusion

All that remains is to thank Percy Spencer for creating such a miracle of electronics. After all, a modern kitchen is unthinkable without a microwave. Rumors about its harmful effects are greatly exaggerated: everything new and unknown in any case faces negative criticism. It is important that today's ovens are safe (subject to compliance) and are simply irreplaceable in any kitchen.

), heating of food in a microwave oven occurs not only from the surface of the heated body, but also throughout its volume containing polar molecules (for example, water), since radio waves of a given frequency penetrate and are absorbed by food products at a depth of approximately 2.5 cm. This reduces food heating time.

Principle of operation

Heating in the furnace is based on the principle of the so-called “dipole shift”. A molecular dipole shift under the influence of an electric field occurs in materials containing polar molecules. The energy of electromagnetic vibrations causes the movement of molecules (in in this case possessing a dipole moment), which leads to an increase in the temperature of the material.

The widespread belief that the frequency is chosen corresponding to the resonant frequency of water is not true - the latter is 22.24 GHz, while most household microwave ovens operate at a frequency of 2450 MHz, in the USA some industrial models operate at a frequency of 915 MHz.

The frequency was chosen for practical and design reasons:

• A magnetron with a power of 500 W or more must have acceptable efficiency, cost and dimensions;
• The frequency must be in the authorized allocated radio frequency range (in this case, the ISM range);
• The penetration depth of radio waves into a heated object should be in the region of several centimeters (the lower the frequency, the greater the penetration depth).

Furnace power

The power of household microwave ovens varies from 500 to 2500 W and higher. Almost all household ovens allow the user to adjust the power used for heating. To do this, in inexpensive furnace models, the heater (magnetron), according to the setting of the power regulator, is periodically turned on and off, changing the average amount of supplied energy using the pulse-width modulation method (also widely used in many other heating devices, for example, irons, heaters). These on/off periods can be directly noticed by the sound when the oven is operating, as well as by changes in appearance some products (inflating some air products, including bags).

Device

Main components of magnetron microwave oven:

• a metal chamber with a metallized door (in which high-frequency radiation is concentrated, for example 2450 MHz), where the heated products are placed;
• transformer - source of high-voltage power supply for the magnetron;
• control and switching circuits;
• direct microwave emitter - magnetron;
• a waveguide for transmitting radiation from the magnetron to the camera;
• auxiliary elements:
  • rotating table - necessary for uniform heating of the product from all sides;
  • circuits and circuits that provide control (timer) and safety (mode locking) of the device;
  • fan cooling the magnetron and ventilating the chamber.

Varieties

Based on the type of design, microwave ovens are divided into:

• solo- only microwave radiation; without grill and convection.
• with grill- contains a built-in quartz or heating element grill.
• with convection- a special fan forces hot air into the chamber, thereby ensuring more uniform baking, similar to an oven.

Based on the type of control, microwave ovens are divided into:

• mechanical- mechanical time and power regulators are used.
• push-button- the control panel consists of a set of buttons.
• sensory- touch-type buttons are used.

Story

October 25, 1955 American company Tappan Company first introduced household microwave oven.

First serial household microwave oven was released by the Japanese company Sharp in 1962. Initially, demand for the new product was low.

Precautions for use

Microwave radiation cannot penetrate metal objects, so it is impossible to cook food in metal utensils.

It is undesirable to place dishes with a metal coating (“golden edge”) in a microwave oven - even this thin layer of metal is highly heated by eddy currents, which can destroy the dishes in the area of ​​the metal coating.

Do not heat liquids in a microwave oven in hermetically sealed containers and whole bird eggs - due to the strong evaporation of water, high pressure is created inside them and, as a result, they can explode. For the same reasons, it is not advisable to overheat sausage products covered with plastic film (or pierce each sausage with a fork before heating).

It is forbidden to turn on an empty microwave. You need to at least put a glass of water in it.

When heating water in the microwave, you should also be careful - water is capable of overheating, that is, heating above the boiling point. A superheated liquid can boil almost instantly from careless movement. This applies not only to distilled water, but also to any water that contains few suspended particles. The smoother and more uniform the inner surface container of water, the higher the risk. If the vessel has a narrow neck, then there is a high probability that when it starts boiling, superheated water will spill out and burn your hands.

Security questions

Electromagnetic safety

Federal sanitary rules, norms and hygienic standards

Permissible levels of EMF in the frequency range 30 kHz - 300 GHz for the population (in residential areas, in places of public recreation, inside residential premises) 10 μW/cm².

Myths about microwave ovens

Write a review on the article "Microwave oven"

Notes

Links

• in Encyclopedia of Quality of Goods and Products
• (English)
• in the program “Miracle of Technology” (NTV, 2013)

Excerpt describing the Microwave oven

It was already two o'clock in the morning when Pierre left his friend. It was a June night, a St. Petersburg night, a gloomless night. Pierre got into the cab with the intention of going home. But the closer he got, the more he felt it was impossible to fall asleep that night, which seemed more like evening or morning. It was visible in the distance through the empty streets. Dear Pierre remembered that that evening the usual gambling society was supposed to gather at Anatole Kuragin's place, after which there would usually be a drinking party, ending with one of Pierre's favorite amusements.
“It would be nice to go to Kuragin,” he thought.
But he immediately remembered his word of honor given to Prince Andrei not to visit Kuragin. But immediately, as happens with people called spineless, he so passionately wanted to once again experience this dissolute life so familiar to him that he decided to go. And immediately the thought occurred to him that given word does not mean anything, because even before Prince Andrey, he also gave Prince Anatoly his word to be with him; Finally, he thought that all these honest words were such conventional things that had no definite meaning, especially if you realized that maybe tomorrow he would either die or something so extraordinary would happen to him that there would no longer be any honest , nor dishonest. This kind of reasoning, destroying all his decisions and assumptions, often came to Pierre. He went to Kuragin.
Having arrived at the porch of a large house near the horse guards barracks in which Anatole lived, he climbed onto the illuminated porch, onto the stairs, and entered the open door. There was no one in the hall; there were empty bottles, raincoats, and galoshes lying around; there was a smell of wine, and distant talking and shouting could be heard.
The game and dinner were already over, but the guests had not yet left. Pierre took off his cloak and entered the first room, where the remains of dinner were standing and one footman, thinking that no one was seeing him, was secretly finishing off unfinished glasses. From the third room you could hear fuss, laughter, screams of familiar voices and the roar of a bear.
About eight young people crowded anxiously around open window. The three were busy with a young bear, which one was dragging on a chain, frightening the other with it.
- I'll give Stevens a hundred! - one shouted.
- Be careful not to support! - shouted another.
- I am for Dolokhov! - shouted the third. - Take them apart, Kuragin.
- Well, leave Mishka, there’s a bet here.
“One spirit, otherwise it’s lost,” shouted the fourth.
- Yakov, give me a bottle, Yakov! - shouted the owner himself, a tall handsome man standing in the middle of the crowd wearing only a thin shirt open at the middle of his chest. - Stop, gentlemen. Here he is Petrusha, dear friend,” he turned to Pierre.
Another voice of a short man with clear blue eyes, which was especially striking among all these drunken voices with its sober expression, shouted from the window: “Come here - settle the bet!” It was Dolokhov, a Semyonov officer, a famous gambler and brigand who lived with Anatole. Pierre smiled, looking around him cheerfully.
- I don’t understand anything. What's the matter?
- Wait, he's not drunk. Give me the bottle,” said Anatole and, taking a glass from the table, approached Pierre.
- First of all, drink.
Pierre began drinking glass after glass, looking from under his brows at the drunken guests who were again crowded at the window, and listening to their conversation. Anatole poured him wine and told him that Dolokhov was betting with the Englishman Stevens, a sailor who was here, that he, Dolokhov, would drink a bottle of rum while sitting on the third floor window with his legs hanging out.
- Well, drink it all! - said Anatole, handing the last glass to Pierre, - otherwise I won’t let you in!
“No, I don’t want to,” Pierre said, pushing Anatole away and went to the window.
Dolokhov held the Englishman’s hand and clearly, distinctly spelled out the terms of the bet, addressing mainly Anatole and Pierre.
Dolokhov was a man of average height, with curly hair and light blue eyes. He was about twenty-five years old. He did not wear a mustache, like all infantry officers, and his mouth, the most striking feature of his face, was completely visible. The lines of this mouth were remarkably finely curved. In the middle upper lip energetically sank onto the strong lower one with a sharp wedge, and in the corners something like two smiles constantly formed, one on each side; and all together, and especially in combination with a firm, insolent, intelligent gaze, it created such an impression that it was impossible not to notice this face. Dolokhov was a poor man, without any connections. And despite the fact that Anatole lived in tens of thousands, Dolokhov lived with him and managed to position himself in such a way that Anatole and everyone who knew them respected Dolokhov more than Anatole. Dolokhov played all the games and almost always won. No matter how much he drank, he never lost his clarity of mind. Both Kuragin and Dolokhov at that time were celebrities in the world of rakes and revelers in St. Petersburg.
A bottle of rum was brought; the frame that did not allow anyone to sit on the outer slope of the window was broken out by two footmen, apparently in a hurry and timid from the advice and shouts of the surrounding gentlemen.
Anatole walked up to the window with his victorious look. He wanted to break something. He pushed the lackeys away and pulled the frame, but the frame did not give up. He broke the glass.
“Well, how are you, strong man,” he turned to Pierre.
Pierre took hold of the crossbars, pulled, and with a crash the oak frame turned out.
“Get out, otherwise they’ll think I’m holding on,” said Dolokhov.
“The Englishman is bragging... huh?... good?...” said Anatole.
“Okay,” said Pierre, looking at Dolokhov, who, taking a bottle of rum in his hands, was approaching the window from which the light of the sky and the morning and evening dawns merging on it could be seen.
Dolokhov, with a bottle of rum in his hand, jumped up onto the window. "Listen!"
he shouted, standing on the windowsill and turning into the room. Everyone fell silent.
- I bet (he spoke French so that an Englishman could understand him, and did not speak this language very well). I bet you fifty imperials, would you like a hundred? - he added, turning to the Englishman.
“No, fifty,” said the Englishman.
- Okay, for fifty imperials - that I will drink the entire bottle of rum without taking it from my mouth, I will drink it while sitting outside the window, right here (he bent down and showed the sloping ledge of the wall outside the window) and without holding on to anything... So? ...
“Very good,” said the Englishman.
Anatole turned to the Englishman and, taking him by the button of his tailcoat and looking down at him (the Englishman was short), began repeating to him the terms of the bet in English.
- Wait! - Dolokhov shouted, banging the bottle on the window to attract attention. - Wait, Kuragin; listen. If anyone does the same, then I pay one hundred imperials. Do you understand?
The Englishman nodded his head, not giving any indication as to whether he intended to accept this new bet or not. Anatole did not let go of the Englishman and, despite the fact that he nodded, letting him know that he understood everything, Anatole translated Dolokhov’s words to him in English. A young thin boy, a life hussar, who had lost that evening, climbed onto the window, leaned out and looked down.
“Uh!... uh!... uh!...” he said, looking out the window at the stone sidewalk.
- Attention! - Dolokhov shouted and pulled the officer from the window, who, entangled in his spurs, awkwardly jumped into the room.
Having placed the bottle on the windowsill so that it would be convenient to get it, Dolokhov carefully and quietly climbed out the window. Dropping his legs and leaning both hands on the edges of the window, he measured himself, sat down, lowered his hands, moved to the right, to the left and took out a bottle. Anatole brought two candles and put them on the windowsill, although it was already quite light. Dolokhov's back in a white shirt and his curly head were illuminated from both sides. Everyone crowded around the window. The Englishman stood in front. Pierre smiled and said nothing. One of those present, older than the others, with a frightened and angry face, suddenly moved forward and wanted to grab Dolokhov by the shirt.
- Gentlemen, this is nonsense; he will be killed to death,” said this more prudent man.
Anatole stopped him:
“Don’t touch it, you’ll scare him and he’ll kill himself.” Eh?... What then?... Eh?...
Dolokhov turned around, straightening himself and again spreading his arms.
“If anyone else bothers me,” he said, rarely letting words slip through his clenched and thin lips, “I’ll bring him down here now.” Well!…
Having said “well”!, he turned around again, let go of his hands, took the bottle and brought it to his mouth, threw his head back and threw it up free hand for an advantage. One of the footmen, who began to pick up the glass, stopped in a bent position, not taking his eyes off the window and Dolokhov’s back. Anatole stood straight, eyes open. The Englishman, his lips thrust forward, looked from the side. The one who stopped him ran to the corner of the room and lay down on the sofa facing the wall. Pierre covered his face, and a weak smile, forgotten, remained on his face, although it now expressed horror and fear. Everyone was silent. Pierre took his hands away from his eyes: Dolokhov was still sitting in the same position, only his head was bent back, so that the curly hair of the back of his head touched the collar of his shirt, and the hand with the bottle rose higher and higher, shuddering and making an effort. The bottle was apparently emptied and at the same time rose, bending its head. “What’s taking so long?” thought Pierre. It seemed to him that more than half an hour had passed. Suddenly Dolokhov made a backward movement with his back, and his hand trembled nervously; this shudder was enough to move the entire body sitting on the sloping slope. He shifted all over, and his hand and head trembled even more, making an effort. One hand rose to grab the window sill, but dropped again. Pierre closed his eyes again and told himself that he would never open them. Suddenly he felt that everything around him was moving. He looked: Dolokhov was standing on the windowsill, his face was pale and cheerful.
- Empty!
He threw the bottle to the Englishman, who deftly caught it. Dolokhov jumped from the window. He smelled strongly of rum.
- Great! Well done! So bet! Damn you completely! - they shouted from different sides.
The Englishman took out his wallet and counted out the money. Dolokhov frowned and remained silent. Pierre jumped onto the window.
Gentlemen! Who wants to bet with me? “I’ll do the same,” he suddenly shouted. “And there’s no need for a bet, that’s what.” They told me to give him a bottle. I'll do it... tell me to give it.
- Let it go, let it go! – said Dolokhov, smiling.
- What you? crazy? Who will let you in? “Your head is spinning even on the stairs,” they spoke from different sides.
- I'll drink it, give me a bottle of rum! - Pierre shouted, hitting the table with a decisive and drunken gesture, and climbed out the window.
They grabbed him by the arms; but he was so strong that he pushed the one who approached him far away.
“No, you can’t persuade him like that,” said Anatole, “wait, I’ll deceive him.” Look, I bet you, but tomorrow, and now we're all going to hell.
“We’re going,” Pierre shouted, “we’re going!... And we’re taking Mishka with us...
And he grabbed the bear, and, hugging and lifting it, began to spin around the room with it.

Prince Vasily fulfilled the promise made at the evening at Anna Pavlovna's to Princess Drubetskaya, who asked him about her only son Boris. He was reported to the sovereign, and, unlike others, he was transferred to the Semenovsky Guard Regiment as an ensign. But Boris was never appointed as an adjutant or under Kutuzov, despite all the efforts and machinations of Anna Mikhailovna. Soon after Anna Pavlovna's evening, Anna Mikhailovna returned to Moscow, straight to her rich relatives Rostov, with whom she stayed in Moscow and with whom her beloved Borenka, who had just been promoted to the army and was immediately transferred to guards ensigns, had been raised and lived for years since childhood. The Guard had already left St. Petersburg on August 10, and the son, who remained in Moscow for uniforms, was supposed to catch up with her on the road to Radzivilov.
The Rostovs had a birthday girl, Natalya, a mother and a younger daughter. In the morning, without ceasing, trains drove up and drove off, bringing congratulators to the large, well-known house of Countess Rostova on Povarskaya throughout Moscow. The countess with her beautiful eldest daughter and guests, who never ceased replacing one another, were sitting in the living room.
The Countess was a woman with an oriental type of thin face, about forty-five years old, apparently exhausted by children, of whom she had twelve. The slowness of her movements and speech, resulting from weakness of strength, gave her a significant appearance that inspired respect. Princess Anna Mikhailovna Drubetskaya, like a domestic person, sat right there, helping in the matter of receiving and engaging in conversation with the guests. The youth were in the back rooms, not finding it necessary to participate in receiving visits. The Count met and saw off the guests, inviting everyone to dinner.

The modern pace of life dictates its own rules. There are increasingly not enough hours in the day, work is not limited to sitting in the office from 9 to 18, and visits to the gym/psychologist/all kinds of courses need to be squeezed into an already busy schedule. And no one cancels the correct diet: you need to eat 4-5 times a day for proper functioning internal organs and for your own comfort. After all, how much energy is wasted every day! So, so that cooking does not take much time, you need to prepare it in advance, and then simply reheat it.

In the middle of the last century, science made a revolutionary discovery - a gadget was invented for heating food as hot as possible. fast deadlines. Who is the brilliant person who invented it, what were its first varieties - later in the article.

Microwave oven: who created it and when?

While using any gadget, few people think about how this device was invented. But in vain. After all, the story of when this or that gadget was invented is often very interesting. At least that's what happened with the microwave oven.

Stories about who invented it and when have become legends. But one thing is certain - back in 1945, Percy LeBaron Spencer had a hand in the creation of the microwave oven during his service at Raytheon. On October 8 this year, he patented a method for heating food using electromagnetic waves. The first machine operating on this principle was released in 1947 and bore little resemblance to modern devices: She was huge, the size of a man and weighing more than 300 kg. “Radarange” is the name the developer gave it. Interestingly, the scientist Spencer received only a small amount for his brainchild. monetary reward, and all rights to release the gadget belonged to the company in which it was registered. Only after his death was he recognized as the one who invented and patented the microwave oven. And after a while his name was included in the Inventors Hall of Fame.

The first household microwave oven and the start of mass production

Decades have passed since the first microwave oven was invented before its widespread use. There were several reasons for this:

1. High cost of equipment;
2. Criticism of this gadget by scientists;
3. As a consequence of the second point, there is negative PR for this device in the press.

Despite these obstacles, work to improve and optimize microwaves has been quite active. And already in 1962, the Sharp company launched the first conveyor production of microwave ovens (by the way, the modern analogue of this company’s oven is very different from its predecessors).

Due to harsh criticism, the first production versions of the unit were not particularly popular, but time passed and microwave ovens nevertheless captured the market. In 1966, a rotating rack was developed to heat food evenly. From the time when the very first microwave oven was released until 1979, another transformation occurred: a microprocessor control system for the device appeared, which made it much easier to use. Such microwave ovens began to actively enter the family life of those times.

Modern microwave oven

According to statistics, more than 12.6 million microwave ovens were sold in the United States in 2000 alone! In those days, when the microwave oven first appeared, no one could have thought that it would be so transformed and improved. A grill function will appear, as in the model, a food defrosting mode and a timer. It is these “goodies” that you should pay attention to when choosing a gadget for home. Even office rooms, equipped with a kitchen, cannot do without a microwave oven. After all, saving time at lunch allows you to relax longer. As for control, microwave ovens are:

• mechanical;
• sensory.

Also, modern devices for heating food, unlike their predecessors, are equipped with a microwave protection system. Therefore, there is no need to worry about external radiation. For some, microwaves have even been able to replace ovens.

From the moment when the very first microwave ovens appeared, until modern realities Half a century has passed. During this time, this gadget has undergone total transformations both externally and internally. The table below shows brief chronology development of this gadget:

The microwave oven was released when no one expected it. And that's a fact. We must thank Percy Spencer for inventing such an ingenious way of heating food, whether by accident or design. After all, life without such an irreplaceable thing in the kitchen modern man would be much more complicated. And no matter what they say about the supposed harmful influence electromagnetic waves on food, no one is going to stop using the microwave oven.