The Amana Corporation was founded by George Foerstner as Amana Refrigeration in 1934 in Middle Amana, Iowa to manufacture commercial walk-in coolers. The business was owned by the Amana Society. In 1947, it manufactured the first upright freezer for the home, and in 1949 added a side-by-side refrigerator/freezer. In 1950, the company was sold to a group of investors including its founder, and became Amana Refrigeration, Inc. In 1954, they began making air conditioners. Amana was acquired in 1965 by Raytheon, which had invented the microwave oven in 1947, and introduced the commercial Radarange model 1611 in 1954. In 1967 Amana introduced a consumer model of the Radarange, the first popular microwave designed for home use. Amana has since expanded into manufacturing a variety of other appliances including furnaces, ovens, countertop ranges, dishwashers, and clothes washers and dryers. IN 1997 the company was purchased by Goodman, who sold off the small appliances brand to Maytag Corporation in 2001, and then part of the Whirlpool Corporation in 2006.
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