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National Windmill Day

Nature · History · The second Saturday in May

A look at windmills, the wind-driven machines that ground grain and pumped water, and the places across the US where you can still see them turn.

National Windmill Day falls on Saturday, May 8, 2027. That is 193 days away.

A windmill is a machine that turns moving air into useful work. Sails or blades catch the wind, spin a shaft, and that motion drives whatever sits below, traditionally millstones for grinding grain or a pump for lifting water.

In the United States the most familiar version is the farm windmill: a tall metal tower topped by a wheel of many small blades and a tail vane that keeps it pointed into the breeze. On ranches and farms these pumped water from wells for livestock, often far from any other power source. The older European style, with four broad sails and a sturdy body, shows up too, usually as a restored landmark or a museum piece.

The day falls on the second Saturday in May, and it tends to pull attention toward the mills that still stand. Some historic windmills open their doors, and a few still grind flour when the wind cooperates. Watching one work is slow and oddly absorbing. The sails creak around, gears rumble somewhere inside, and the whole building seems to lean into the weather.

If no mill is nearby, the farm windmill is often easier to find than you might expect. Drive a rural road and you may spot one standing over a stock tank, still turning or simply resting.

Modern wind turbines are cousins rather than the same thing. They make electricity, while a true windmill does mechanical work right where it stands, which is why the old ones are so closely tied to the land around them.

Ways to celebrate

• Visit a restored historic windmill and ask how it works.
• Look for farm windmills along a rural back road.
• Fold a paper pinwheel and watch it spin outdoors.
• Buy or bake bread from stone-ground flour.
• Sketch or photograph a windmill turning in the wind.

Dates

All national days on May 8

Also on May 8

• Victory in Europe Day
• National Coconut Cream Pie Day
• National Give Someone a Cupcake Day
• No Socks Day
• National Train Day

Categories: Nature daysHistory days