Don Quixote Would Be Proud, or Confused
The windmill was, as far as we know, invented by Dakbar the Wise in the 14th century BC (or BCE, as they like to call it these days).
Dakbar (Da, to his closest friends) lived in what is today Afghanistan. Back then it was Afghanistan too, but nobody called it that. (They called it Down South.)
Da was not the first to put the windmill into profitable use though. That honor (again, as far as we know) goes to his great, great granddaughter, Dintno-Aykoud, who lived in Tasmania. Of course, that was long before it was renamed after Abel Tasman. Before Abel, it was called Iutriwita.
Dintno-Aykoud (DA, to her closest friends) used the windmill like a modern-day fan. (It was very hot in Iutriwita.) DA called the contraption the windmaker. You can probably guess how the word morphed into windmill over the centuries, so I won't delve into that here.
Today on History of the Windmill Day, now that you know the basics of its history, please share this information with everyone you know on Facebook, Google+, and elsewhere. It's important that people know this so they don't remain ignorant.
Not many people have heard this version of the windmill's history. In fact, you, if you're reading this on or shortly after 7/20/16, are one of the first. So spread the word.