The microwave oven was invented by mistake.


Happy Accidents Sometimes an accident can lead to an invention. Percy Spencer was testing a radar machine. During one test, a candy bar in his pocket melted. Next, he put a bag of corn kernels near the machine. Te kernels popped! Te machine created a powerful


form of energy. Spencer made some changes to the machine. He built a box around it. Ten Spencer put food inside


the box. He turned it on. Te food cooked. He had invented the first microwave oven.


Looking for a Use Sometimes inventors don’t know how to use their inventions. Tat’s what happened to Spencer Silver. He developed a new kind of glue. It


was sticky, but not too sticky. Yet he couldn’t think of a way to use it. No one else could, either.


Changing the World Ten years later, a man who worked with Silver had a problem. His bookmarks kept falling out of his books. So he put some of Spencer’s glue on slips of paper. Tey stuck! He solved his problem. Today, many people use self-stick notes. Glue may seem simple. Yet it


changed the world. Tat’s what many inventions do. Tey can make our lives better.


Wordwise


invention: an original device, system, or process


model: a small object that represents in detail another, often larger, object


patent: an official paper that gives an inventor the right to be the only one to make, use, and sell an invention for a certain time


prototype: an early model of something


JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2013 15


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