Philip H. Diehl — Inventor, Engineer, and Pioneer of the Ceiling Fan

Philip Diehl was born January 29, 1847, in Dalsheim, in what was then the German Confederation.
In July 1868, he emigrated to New York City, where he worked in machine shops and later joined the Singer Manufacturing Company as an apprentice.
He was later transferred to Chicago and worked at the Remington Machine Company until 1875 (losing all possessions in the Great Chicago Fire of 1871).
In 1873, he married Emilie Loos. His daughter Clara Elvira was born April 2, 1876.

Diehl worked at improving light sources and obtained a patent in 1882 for an induction incandescent lamp — a design that had no direct lead-in wires, but used coils in the lamp base to couple to a primary coil in the socket.
This was in contrast to Edison’s design, and his work is said to have pressured Edison to lower bulb prices.

While at Singer, Diehl experimented with motors to assist sewing machines. These developments grew into broader electric motor designs beyond sewing machines.
In 1884, Diehl demonstrated a dynamo (based on his motor design) that produced current sufficient for arc lamps, sewing‑machine motors, and incandescent lamps. The Franklin Institute’s judges ranked it among the best in the exhibition.

Although Schuyler Skaats Wheeler had invented a fan in 1882, Diehl innovated by integrating fan blades with a sewing machine motor and installing it overhead (on the ceiling). He applied for and was granted a patent (November 12, 1889) for this “electric‑motor fan.”
Later enhancements included combining the fan with a light and adding adjustability (a split‑ball joint) and oscillation functionality (by 1907).

In 1889, the American Institute of New York awarded Diehl a bronze “Medal of Merit” for his work on electric fans and dynamos.
His inventions had an enduring effect on electric appliance design and domestic comfort; ceiling fans are still widely used.
Diehl passed away April 7, 1913, in Elizabeth, New Jersey.