The design and working principle of a windmill or a wind powered machine haven’t changed much since they first appeared in Persia some 1,200 years ago. All windmills contain vanes or sails exposed to the wind, which causes them to turn. The rotary motion is then used to do work, such as grind grains into flour or pump water.

In 1868, French engineer Ernest Sylvain Bollée came up with a new design that made his windmill look and work radically different from a traditional windmill.

Credit: Wikimedia Commons

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