A Huge Fan of Facts
Sunday
Fans are old. They’ve been found in ancient Egyptian tombs, including Tut’s. However, palm leaves, used to fan Egyptian royalty since at least 4000BC, were the natural precursor to man-made fans.
Monday
The first electric fan was developed by Dr. Shuyler Skaats Wheeler in 1886. It was brass, heavy, used DC electricity, made to sit on your desk and spun two blades with no protective cage, making it a dangerous type of cool.
Tuesday
Fans move air, but don’t reduce air temperature. The cooling you perceive is because the fan pushes warm air away from your skin and evaporates sweat. This increases heat transfer away from your body, or convection, making you feel cooler. This is also called the wind chill effect. Ironically, the a fan’s electric motor generates heat, so a sealed room with an electric fan would get hotter over time.
Wednesday
Fans have fans, such that there are at least three museums in the world dedicated to fans, their history, and their art.
Thursday
Ceiling fans can also warm a house in the winter. Most have a switch which reverses the blade direction to clockwise. This pushes naturally-rising warm air back down to warm you instead.
Friday
The largest fan on record was just under 28 feet long, presented at a store in Hong Kong in 2009, and made of wood and paper.
Saturday
The art of using an elaborate fan dance to conceal one’s nearly-nude body was famously pioneered by Sally Rand (real name Harriet Beck), spawned competitors and imitators, gained her admirers and Hollywood friends, and got her arrested often.