electric fan
Japanese Name:
扇風機
Romaji Name:
senpuuki
Description
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A fan is an electric appliance that blows air to cool a room or a person. It has rotating blades that move the air and create a breeze. Fans are commonly used in homes, offices, and other places during hot weather. Some fans can also oscillate, meaning they move side to side to spread air more evenly.
History
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The idea of creating airflow for cooling has existed for centuries. Before electric fans, people used handheld fans (like the Japanese uchiwa or sensu) or mechanical fans operated by hand or water power.
The modern electric fan was invented in the late 19th century. The first electric fan is credited to Dr. Schuyler Wheeler, who developed it in the 1880s in the United States. These early fans were small, table-mounted devices with two blades.
By the early 20th century, electric fans became more common in homes, offices, and factories as electricity spread. In Japan, electric fans began to appear around the 1910s, and by the 1950s and 1960s, they became a standard household appliance, especially before air conditioning became widespread.
Japanese manufacturers like Panasonic (formerly Matsushita) and Toshiba played a key role in improving and popularizing electric fans, producing models that were quiet, efficient, and stylish.