| The hydraulic turbine has a long period of development, its oldest and simplest form being the waterwheel, first used in ancient Greece and subsequently adopted throughout medieval Europe. Benoit Fourneyron (France) was the first to develop a successful, commercial hydraulic turbine. James B. Francis designed the first radial-inflow hydraulic turbine, which became widely used due to its excellent performance. The Pelton turbine, named after Lester A. Pelton, was brought into use in the second half of the nineteenth century. In 1913 Victor Kaplan revealed his idea of the propeller turbine. Although there are a large number of different hydraulic turbine designs in use, the three types of hydraulic turbines mentioned above are the most widely used in hydro-electric applications today. | 
