Electricity-producing windmill

Windmills for crushing grain or pumping water date back to the Middle Ages and were commonplace in the U.S. in the mid-19th century with many different designs tried. In 1890 Charles Brush developed a wind turbine to generate electricity. Connected to a 12,000-watt dynamo and battery bank, he used it to power his house, which was apparently a very large consumer of energy. This machine, called a turbine rather than a windmill, helped set the stage for development of today's turbines.