Summary: Humans long ago realized that they can harness the energy of the wind to do work.
History of Wind Energy
Wind turbines have been used since as early as 200 B.C. by the Persians. The first practical windmills, however, were made in the 7th century in Iran and were used for grinding grain and drawing water. In the 14th century, the Dutch had installed a number of windmills for draining the Rhine River delta. The first wind turbines used for producing electricity were in the UK in 1887 for recharging batteries.