The first fan was probably a large leaf taken from a tree in a hot climate somewhere and is very likely to have been invented many thousands of years ago,when our earliest ancestors first realized how to use objects as tools. The Japanese invented their style of hand fan in the 6th century.The ceiling fan is an electronic device with rotating arms, called blades, that is attached to the ceiling to help circulate the air. They rotate relatively slowly and work on the principle of introducing air movement into a still, hot room. Unlike an air conditioner, a ceiling fan does not cool the actual room itself. They rely on evaporative cooling, which helps to speed up the evaporation of perspiration on the human skin. This is certainly not as effective as an air conditioner, but they are quite effective and very popular because they use far less power than an air conditioner. It was in the 1860s that the first ceiling fans made an appearance. They were very different from the modern ceiling fans we know of today because they were not powered by electricity. They ran on an elaborate system that utilized running water to power a system of belts to turn the blades. The electric ceiling fan was invented in 1882 by engineer and inventor, Philip Diehl. He had earlier invented an electric sewing machine and adapted the motor from this invention to create the ceiling fan. He called his invention the “Diehl Electric Fan” and it was such a success that he soon had many other people competing with him.