The inventor of the microwave only received $2 for his discovery

While working as a researcher at American Appliance Company (known as Raytheon today), Percy Spencer noticed a candy bar in his pocket was melted by some nearby electromagnetic waves. This prompted his idea to create a metal box that could heat food but unfortunately for him, the company was the one to file the patent and he ended up receving just a $2 bonus for an invention that would eventually go on to be in almost every home in the country.