As we know ceiling fans have been around quit a while. Since 1886 Hunter being the very first manufacturer, this was before the invention of electricity. The first ceiling fans were water powered. Emerson being the the second manufacturer introduced their first ceiling fan in 1897, soon ceiling fans became half of Emerson's business and line of products. When ceiling fans were invented, ceiling fans were very heavy, and were used in the industry such as factories, hotels, fancy restaurants. Ceiling fans from the early days 1886 - 1960's are genuine antiques and can be worth a lot of money at collectors value. Their are plenty of sites and communities for ceiling fan collectors for those type of ceiling fans.

Casablanca Fan Company founded in 1974. They came out with the copy of the GE vent early day ceiling fans. By 1974 Wing Tat and a few other Asian manufacturers were already manufacturing metal bladed ceiling fans in their countries. Casablanca Fan Company became a very well known manufacturer in the United States. This was when many people started to buy ceiling fans for their homes. Casablanca started the new age of ceiling fans, as they rapidly started to become popular on the market. Soon after Asian manufacturers Wing Tat, and S.M.C. to name a few had company locations in the United Stats to distribute ceiling fans to stores, and this was when the imported ceiling fans filled the shelves in stores. Many Asian factories were distributing ceiling fans under companies located in the United States such as Gulf Coast Fans, Moss, Toastmaster to name a few, which than distributed out to stores with their labels on the packaging, paperwork, warranty cards, or even on the motor. Moss was one of the biggest manufacturer for imported ceiling fans. Many other manufacturers were getting the fans from the same Asian manufacturer as other companies. Store brands also sold imported ceiling fans under their names. The late 1970s, early 1980s was the age before recycling. Asian and American made ceiling fans back then were built very solid and heavy, of course this is why they last much longer than most ceiling fans made today. Casablanca, Hunter, and Emerson fan companies tend to still make some solid high quality ceiling fans.

Ceiling fans in the early days mounted with a hook, called a J-Hook. During the early 1980s many Asian factories were inventing other ways to mount ceiling fans. Many variations of bracket mounting systems were invented to mount to an electrical junction box or rafter. Ball and socket brackets and canopy to bracket mounting systems to name a few. Many manufacturers started to do away with J-Hook mounting when fans became much lighter in weight. By the late 1980s all common household ceiling fans were bracket mount.