How Hunter grew to become the World’s 6th Biggest Brand
Ceiling fans today come in a huge variety of different shapes and sizes, with differing numbers of blades, air output, speeds, noise level to name but a few. We also have the luxury of being able to choose whether our fan comes with built in lights, a remote control, pull chains, wall switches, adjustable speeds, dimmable lights; again there are countless choices which we can easily take for granted. 150 years ago when ceiling fans had just been invented in America, everything was very different. Fans had 2 blades and were powered not by motors, but by a system of belts driven by a stream of running water. They were not popular in homes yet in restaurants and stores they started to be used as these systems could power multiple fans.
It was not until 1882 that an electrically powered ceiling fan was built, a German-American man named Philip Diehl being its inventor. He adapted an electric motor that he had designed for use in the Singer sowing machines and decided to install it into what would be the world’s first ceiling fan. Later, Diehl was also responsible for attaching the first light kit to a ceiling fan, allowing the two to form into one convenient unit.
Hunter came onto the scene in 1886 when father and son duo John and James Hunter built their first ceiling fan, powered by running water. Shortly afterwards in 1896, the era of the modern ceiling fan began with the production of the alternating current Tuerk Type A in Fulton, New York. The Hunter 1886 series fan is one that authentically replicates one of the Hunter family’s first, bringing 21st century technology to 19th century heritage. It is one of our most popular and carries the 128 year history of Hunter right to your home, sure to add vintage and beauty to any room within a historical house.
Throughout the 20th century, both Hunter and the ceiling fan developed phenomenally. The 1920s saw Hunter expand its fan line to include oscillating desk fans and in 1936 the introduction of large pedestal fans. Although America temporarily lost interest in ceiling fans from the 1930s to the 1950s, they became very popular in hot countries abroad where the resources for complex air conditioning units did not exist. Soon, East Asia began exporting fans back into the United States and during the energy crisis in the 1970s, they once again became popular due to their far lower energy consumption compared to conventional air conditioning.
Nowadays, ceiling fans continue to be popular both in industry and at home. They offer the style, comfort and energy saving abilities that air conditioning does not and the possibility of their use throughout the year is what makes them so essential. Hunter’s proud 128 year history has allowed us to try and test what works and what doesn’t, meaning we can constantly improve our products and pass these benefits onto our customers.
