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.
The earliest written accounts of kite flying was about 200 B.C.
describing when the Chinese general Han Hsin, Han Dynasty flew a kite above
a town to determine how far his army would have to tunnel. Knowing the
distance his troops surprised their enemy and were victorious.
Kite flying spread from China via trade to Korea, Japan, India, etc.
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 could fly kites. The government
tried to discourage this pastime as "too many people became unmindful of
their work."
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 golden statues from
the roof. All he got were some scales and he was captured and punished
severely when he bragged of his exploits.
There are many stories about how the people of Micronesia used a leaf
kite to carry bait 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. Kite fighting is still a popular event in the
Far East.
Marco Polo carried stories of kites to Europe around the end of the 13th
century. Illustrations of the period show non-flying dragon kites based on
military banners. Kites were regarded as curiosities at first and had little
impact on European culture.
In the 18th and 19th centuries kites were used by vehicles for
discovery. Ben Franklin,, Sir George Caley, Samuel Langley, Lawrence
Hargrave, Alexander Graham Bell, and the Wright Brothers experimented with
kites and contributed to development of the airplane. Kites designed by Eddy
and Hargrave were used to raise meteorological instruments. A schoolmaster,
George Pocock, used a pair of kites to pull a carriage at speeds of up to 20
miles per hour. How would one measure the horse power of this carriage?
As the airplane became firmly established the kite became nothing more
than something used as recreational flying. The last 50 years has seen
renewed interest in kiting. Rogallo's flexi-wing and Jalbert's parafoil
kites helped develop modern hang-gliders and sports parachutes. In 1972
Peter Powell make the duel line stunter popular. This has led the public to
believe that kite flying could be a sport and not just child's play. Now
many adults and children are enjoying this healthy pastime.
