Percy Spencer

Percy LaBaron Spencer (July 19, 1894 – September 8, 1970) was an American physicist, electrical engineer, and inventor of the microwave oven. As a boy he was twice orphaned and began work at a young age, never finishing grammar school. During the night shift, he taught himself topics such as calculus, trigonometry, physics, and chemistry, establishing a lifelong habit of self-education or "solving my own situation" as he called it.

Spencer led the power tube division at Raytheon during World War II that expanded massively and continued at the company as an executive and senior member of the board. Even among physicists and top researchers, he was famous for his insatiable knowledge absorption.