In the history of flight, the first
lighter-than-air balloon (1783) and the first powered
aircraft (1903) are very recent when compared with the age
of kites. The exact date and origin of the kite is not known but it is
believed that they were flown in China more than two
thousand years ago. One legend suggests that when a Chinese
farmer tied a string to his hat to keep it from blowing away
in a strong wind, the first kite was born. |
The earliest written account of kite flying was about 200
B.C. when the Chinese General Han Hsin of the Han Dynasty
flew a kite over the walls of a city he was attacking to
measure how far his army would have to tunnel to reach past
the defenses. Knowing this distance his troops reached the
inside of the city, surprised their enemy, and were
victorious. Kite flying was eventually spread by traders
from China to Korea, and across Asia to India. Each area
developed a distinctive style of kite and cultural purpose
for flying them. During the Silla Dynasty of Korea
around the year 600, General Gim Yu-sin was ordered to
subdue a revolt. However, his troops refused to fight. They
had seen a large shooting star fall from the sky and
believed it to be a bad omen. To regain control, the General
used a large kite to carry a fire ball into the sky. The
soldiers, seeing the star return to heaven, rallied and
defeated the rebels. Kites were brought to Japan about the 7th century by
Buddhist monks. They were used to avert evil spirits and to
insure rich harvests. |
Kite flying became very popular in Japan
during the Edo period. For the first time Japanese people below the
samurai class were allowed to fly kites. The Edo (now Tokyo)
government tried unsuccessfully to discourage this pastime as "too
many people became unmindful of their work." According to one story, about 300 years ago
a thief was said to use a large kite to carry himself to the top
of Nagoya Castle in order to steal a golden statue from the roof.
All he was able to remove were a few small pieces. Later he was
captured and punished severely when he bragged of his exploits. The earliest evidence of Indian kite flying comes from miniature
paintings from the Mogul Period around 1500. A favorite theme was
of a young man skillfully using his kite to drop messages to a
lover who was being held in strict seclusion from him and the rest
of the world. There are many stories about how the people of Micronesia used
leaf kites to carry bait far out over the water where the gar-fish
fed. The Polynesians have myths about two brother gods introducing
kites to man when they had a kite duel. The winning brother flew
his kite the highest. There are still contests in the islands
where the highest flying kite is dedicated to the gods. Marco Polo carried stories of kites to Europe around the end of
the 13th century. Illustrations of the period show non-flying
dragon kites on military banners. Sailors also brought kites back
from Japan and Malaysia in the 16th and 17th centuries. Kites were
regarded as curiosities at first and had little impact on European
culture. In the 18th and 19th centuries, kites were
used as vehicles and tools for scientific research. Men like Benjamin Franklin and Alexander Wilson used their
knowledge of kite flying to learn more about the wind and weather.
Sir George Caley, Samuel Langley, Lawrence Hargrave, Alexander
Graham Bell, and the Wright Brothers all experimented with kites
and contributed to development of the airplane. The US Weather service flew kites designed
by William Eddy and Lawrence Hargraves to raise meteorological
instruments and cameras. One of the strangest uses of kite power was developed by
schoolmaster George Pocock. In 1822, he used a pair of kites to
pull a carriage at speeds of up to 20 miles per hour. Some of his
kite trips were recorded at over 100 miles. And because road taxes
at the time were based on the number of horses a carriage used, he
was exempted from any tolls! During World War I, the British, French, Italian, and Russian
armies all used kites for enemy observation and signaling. The
introduction of airplanes quickly made these units obsolete. The
German Navy continued to use man-lifting box kites to increase the
viewing range of surface-cruising submarines. In World War II, the
US Navy found several uses for kites. Harry Saul's Barrage Kite
prevented airplanes from flying too low over targets. Pilots lost
at sea raised the Gibson-Girl Box kite so they could be found. And
Paul Garber's Target Kite, a large steerable Diamond was used for
target practice and aircraft recognition at sea. As the airplane became firmly established the kite was used less
for military purposes or scientific research and more for
recreational flying. The last 50 years has seen renewed interest
in kiting. New materials like ripstop nylon, fiberglass, and
carbon graphite have made kites stronger, lighter, more colorful,
and more durable. Important inventions like Francis Rogallo's
flexi-wing and Domina Jalbert's parafoil kites helped develop
modern hang-gliders and sport parachutes. In 1972 Peter Powell introduced a toy dual
line stunter and the public began to fly kites not only for fun,
but also for sport. Enthusiasts experimented with new designs that
could fly precise maneuvers, go faster, or perform intricate
tricks. Competition where fliers competed to music became popular. Larger and more powerful kites were designed and in the 1980's,
Peter Lynn of New Zealand introduced a stainless steel kite
powered buggy. In the 1990's, kite traction on wheels, over water,
and on ice have become increasingly popular. In 1999, a team used
kite power to pull sleds to the North Pole.
Material
courtesey of the American
Kitefliers Association . For a copy of the teaching manual
"Kites in Classroom", contact the AKA
Online Store | 
