History In the history of flight, balloons and powered aircraft are recent compared to kites. It is believe that kites were flown in China more than two thousand years ago. One legend suggests that the first kite was invented when a Chinese farmer tied a string to his hat to keep it from blowing away in a strong wind and it stayed up in the air.

History, continued… The earliest written account of kite flying was about 200 B.C. when a Chinese general flew a kite over the walls of a city he was planning to attack. He used the kite string to measure how far his army would have to tunnel to dig under the wall. Knowing this distance helped his army surprise the enemy and they were victorious!

History, continued… Kites were brought to Japan in the 7 th century by Buddhist monks who used them to avert evil spirits and ensure rich harvests. During the “Edo” period in Japan all people below Samurais were allowed to fly kites, but the government tried to dissuade them because they were worried it took their minds’ off their work.

History, continued… About 300 years ago a Japanese man used a kite to carry himself to the top of the Nagoya Castle to attempt to steal a golden statue. And while he was able to remove a few small pieces of the statues, he was captured and punished when he landed and bragged about his exploits.

History, continued… The U.S. Weather Service flew kites to raise meteorological instruments and cameras up into the atmosphere. During WWI many countries used kites for enemy observation and signaling. In WWII the U.S. Navy used kites to prevent enemy airplanes to fly too low over targets. American pilots lost at sea were trained to fly a box kite so they could be found.

Benjamin Franklin There is no proof that Benjamin Franklin flew a kite during a thunderstorm in the year 1752, but he may have. A full-on lightening strike would have killed him. Historians believe he attached a key to the string to have something to attract the lightning to and that he flew the kite in the rain but kept the last few feet of the string dry to insulate himself. Mythbusters (and others) have tried to duplicate the experiment without luck. The myth was declared “busted”. Franklin did, however, invent the lightning rod, which is used to this day to direct lightning strikes safely into the ground.

Kiting Today The last 50 years has seen a renewed interest in flying kites, or “kiting”. New materials, like ripstop nylon, fiberglass, and carbon graphite have made kites stronger, lighter, more colorful, and more durable. New designs include stunt kites with dual lines and kites strong enough to pull vehicles, wakeboards, snowboards, and ice sleds.

Types of Kites

Build a Box kite!

Materials: (20) 24” 1/8” x 1/8” balsa sticks. White glue or glue sticks. Tissue paper. String. Scissors

8” 6” 24”

Cross Brace Support TOP VIEW Two pieces of string Tied at each corner AND together, in The middle

“Bridle” Tie one string to the top corner of one side. Tie a second string ¾ of the way down From the first string. While holding both strings together, adjust The angle of the kite until the top leans forward at About a 45 degree angle. Tie both strings together about 6’ from the kite.

GO FLY A KITE!