The earliest windmills date back thousands of years. Most windmills were used to process grain. In countries like Holland, windmills pumped flood water and redirected it for agricultural purposes. It’s believed that without windmills, the Dutch would have lost their towns and cities to floodwaters. Even today there are over 1,000 windmills in Holland, some of which are used to drain flood water and process grain. Early models used wooden parts, but as technology progressed windmills were constructed using stronger materials like metal. The first windmills in Europe were known as ‘post mills.’ These simple wooden structures were built on stilts above the ground. They weren’t as sturdy or as powerful.
Post mills evolved into tower mills in the 12th century. At this point in European history, only nobles had the resources to construct mills. Tower mills were made of brick or stone, which made them more reliable in stormy conditions. Their fans could also catch more wind, generating more power and processing grain much faster. Tower mills were a status symbol and this spurred a rush for their construction throughout Europe. By the 17th century advances in engineering had grown. Now the smock mill came into being. It was designed to be a cheaper, lighter, easier-to-build, and more efficient version of the tower mill. They quickly became the most popular type of windmill. This is partly because it was easier to build on wet terrains — an essential quality for the Dutch. Soon hundreds of windmills blossomed, turning sleepy villages into industrial centers almost overnight.
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