Details About Percy Spencer: Wedding, Ethnicity, Net Worth



Known for movies



Percy Spencer was born on July 19, 1865, in Howland, Maine, the son of a farmer. He was the oldest of nine children and attended school through the eighth grade. When he was 12, his father died and he went to work to support his family. He worked in a shoe factory and later as a machinist’s apprentice. In 1892, he married Hattie E. Palmer and they had three children.

Spencer began his career in the electrical industry in 1895 as a clerk for the Edison Electric Light Company in Boston. He was promoted to superintendent of the company’s New York office in 1898. In 1899, he joined the American Radio and Research Corporation (later the American Telephone and Telegraph Company) and became its chief engineer in 1901.

In 1902, Spencer invented the vacuum tube amplifier, which made long-distance telephone service possible. He also developed the radio transmitter and receiver, which led to the establishment of radio broadcasting. In addition to his work in the telecommunications field, Spencer also did research in X-ray technology and developed the first microwave oven, which he patented in 1945.

Spencer’s accomplishments earned him many honors, including the Edison Medal, the Elliott Cresson Medal, and the Franklin Medal. He was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame in 1974. He died on September 8, 1970, at his home in Swampscott, Massachusetts.

Source: IMDb, Wikipedia