What is the history of wind power?

Question

What is the history of wind power?

Answer 1

It was being used centuries ago, that's for sure. Just look at all the paintings that have windmills in them.

The Muse

Answer 2

http://www.telosnet.com/wind/early.html

http://www.telosnet.com/wind/

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Answer 3

The wind blows, and so does wind power.  Get that out first.  The history of wind power goes all the way back to the first sailing ships on the Nile and the Mediteranian Sea (Phoenicians).  The ancient Egyptians were the first to employ wind power, followed by the Greeks, the Chineese, and Balkan countries.  One form or another of wind power has been used for the past 10,000.

Answer 4

http://library.thinkquest.org/17658/wind...

Answer 5

The history of wind power shows a general evolution from the use of simple, light devices driven by aerodynamic drag forces; to heavy, material-intensive drag devices; to the increased use of light, material-efficient aerodynamic lift devices in the modern era. But it shouldn't be imagined that aerodynamic lift (the force that makes airplanes fly) is a modern concept that was unknown to the ancients. The earliest known use of wind power, of course, is the sail boat, and this technology had an important impact on the later development of sail-type windmills. Ancient sailors understood lift and used it every day, even though they didn't have the physics to explain how or why it worked.