John Eilermann. The Second World War brought a lot of damage and change to people’s lives. Despite the terror people experienced during this time, this period also pushed great minds to find ways to make life easier.

Photocopying and Xerography
John Eilermann. At the start of the 1940s, physicist Chester Floyd Carlson started developing his electrophotography invention, the technology used for photocopying. Despite facing the last years of the ’30s and beginning of the ’40s in perfecting the technology, the experiments that started in his kitchen became a process that is necessary for many processes up to this day.
Ballpoint pen
John Eilermann. Having ballpoint pens is more convenient than the fountain pens, which smudged and needed time to dry. These new pens were light, easy to use, and dried quickly. While an initial idea for the ballpoint pen started in the 19th century, it was only during the 1930s when Hungarian-Argentine László Bíró built upon the idea. After several tweaks and exhibitions, his invention was patented in 1943 and soon became a commercial success.

Microwave oven
John Eilermann. American engineer Percy Spencer was the one who developed radar technology for combat. However, he wanted to use the technology for purposes other than for warfare. He saw the potential for creating a microwave oven when he noticed a candy bar melting in front of an active radar set. After seeing this, he continued to develop the idea and used other food items like popcorn kernels. Many experiments later, he came up with a model that used a high-density electromagnetic field generator to an enclosed metal box.