The History of Windmills

Windmills have played an interesting part in art and literature, showing up in the famous attack on the windmill giants by Don Quixote and in the East Anglican paintings of John Constable. Though windmills made good models for art, they served a more practical purpose for European and American farmers.

History

The earliest recording of a windmill was in ninth century Persia. In 1854, Daniel Halladay was the first to design windmills in New England.

Types

There are three basic types of windmills: vertical axis (stationary), horizontal-axle (turn to face the wind) and fixed horizontal-axle.

Function

Europeans built the first windmills for grinding grain into meal or flour.

Materials

The first North American windmills were made of wood with some iron and steel parts holding the wooden components together. All-metal windmills were introduced in 1870.

Fun Fact

Between 1770 and 1803, 20 of the tallest windmills in the world were erected in Schiedam, Holland. Five of the original windmills remain and attract tourists from all over the world.

References

• Windmill World
• Windmill History
• Holland Windmills

Resources

• Windmill Images