Wind turbines are becoming ever more ubiquitous thanks to their gradually lowering setup costs and relatively environmentally friendly energy production. It is a bit worrying then to see this particular wind turbine exploding in spectacular fashion. Worrying may actually be the wrong adjective—I believe the correct term is omfg-exploding-wind-turbine-destruction-is-so-satisfying-tastic. Check it out by hitting the video above, then jump in for a brief history lesson about Grandpa's Knob.

Wind machines were used way back in 200 B.C. by the Persians, who managed to put the wind crunchers to use for grain grinding purposes. Skip a few years ahead, and you have the first Megawatt wind turbine (pictured), which was set up on a hilltop in Rutland, Vermont, and provided power to the local grid during WWII. The turbine was affectionately known as "Grandpa's Knob." Charming. Thanks for attending Wind Turbine Retromodo 101; there'll be a test next week, so get revising. [Live Leak; Wiki]

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