Ceiling fan be used to reduce the stratification of warm air in a room by forcing it down to affect both occupants' sensations and thermostat readings, thereby improving climate control energy efficiency. Punkah-type ceiling fans date back to 500 BC, and are native to India. Unlike modern rotary fans, these punkah fans move air by moving to and fro, and were operated manually by cord. The first rotary ceiling fans appeared in the early 1860s and 1870s in the United States. At that time, they were not powered by any form of electric motor. Instead, a stream of running water was used,
Indian rope trick Indian rope trick The Indian rope trick is a magic trick said to have been performed in and around India during the 19th century. Sometimes described as "the world’s greatest illusion", it reputedly involved a magician, a length of rope, and one or more boy assistants. In the 1990s the trick was said by some historians to be a hoax perpetrated in 1890 by John Wilkie of the "Chicago Tribune" newspaper. Peter Lamont has argued that there are no accurate references to the trick predating 1890, and later stage magic performances of the trick were inspired by Wilkie's account. There