Ronald B. Howes Sr. | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1926-05-22)May 22, 1926 |
| Died | February 16, 2010(2010-02-16) (aged 83) Anderson Township, OH |
| Occupation | Inventor |
| Known for | Inventor of theEasy-Bake Oven |
Ronald B. Howes (May 22, 1926 – February 16, 2010) was an American toyinventor, best known for his invention of theEasy-Bake Oven, which was introduced toconsumers in 1963.[1]
Howes' mother died when he was born. He was raised by hisGerman grandmother and herAmerican husband inOver-the-Rhine, a historic neighborhood inCincinnati.[1] Howes' family ran a series of small grocery stores in the city during theGreat Depression.[1]
Howes taught himself to read beforekindergarten.[1] He leftWalnut Hills High School duringWorld War II in order to enlist in theUnited States Navy.[1] He served in theSouth Pacific during the war before returning to Cincinnati.
He earned hisbachelor's degree from theUniversity of Cincinnati, where he had already earned some credits while in high school.[1]
Howes came up with the idea for the Easy-Bake Oven when he noticed that street vendors kept their food hot by using heat-lamps.[2] In addition to his creation of the Easy-Bake Oven, Howes also was involved in the creation of or refinement to a number of otherKenner Toy products, includingSpirograph, Give-a-Show Projector, and Close-and-Play Record Player. Howes died on February 16, 2010, at the age of 83.
About 50 years ago, walking through New York City, inventor Ronald Howes was struck by the way street vendors kept their food warm using heating lamps. In the cartoon version of this scene, we can see the light bulb from a vendor's cart float to the air above Howes' head, where it pops in a flash of genius. Light bulb ... heat ... cooking ... There among the pretzel carts, Howes conceived of the Easy-Bake Oven, a child-size appliance that uses 100-watt incandescents to bake tiny cakes.
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