Microwaves are almost a necessity today. Every home you go to whether you’re in a college dorm or a million dollar mansion, you can find this small appliance, but it hasn’t always been that way. You’ll even see them in hotel rooms, even the really cheap ones too.

Although I’m only 28, I can remember a time when our family didn’t have a microwave. When that fact came up in a conversation in the newsroom recently, my fellow writers, all of whom are a little bit younger than me, just couldn’t believe it. It made me feel like I was one of my grandparents talking about when they recalled life before television.