5000 B.C. – Ancient Egyptians use wind energy to propel boats along the Nile River.
200 B.C. – The Chinese use simple windmills to pump water, and people in the Middle East use vertical-axis windmills with woven reed sails to grind grain.
11th century – After seeing people in the Middle East using windmills for food production, European explorers take the technology home with them. The Dutch use this new technology to drain lakes and marshes in the Rhine River Delta.
Late 19th century – In the US, windmills are used to pump water for farms and ranches.
1890 – Wind turbines that can generate electricity are introduced in Denmark.
1930s – As industrialization picks up, the steam engine replaces water-pumping windmills in Europe.
1940s – A large-scale wind turbine is introduced in Vermont, providing electricity for several months during World War II, when fossil fuel prices were high. When fossil fuel prices fell after the war, interest in wind power waned.
1970s – Fuel prices skyrocket as the result of oil embargoes, and interest in improving on wind turbine technology picks up. Wind turbines are made safer and quieter.
Today – Wind power plants—or “wind farms”—generate power across the US and Europe, and with continuing research and development, wind-generated electricity is comparable in cost to other power sources.