Dark Horse Arts and Sciences

Remember playing kites in the early Januaries with the neighbours and families. Such a fun ride, isn’t it? But do you have an idea who invented it or who made the first ever kite? Well, the story goes around 3000 years back. The first recorded construction and design of a kite was made by a Chinese Philosopher Mo Zi who spent almost three years for building a kite. The availability of silk for the sail material and bamboo for a strong, light frame helped the man designing the first ever kite. Documents and records suggest that kites were used to test the wind, to measure distances, and to communicate during military maneuvers. Many kites were designed with mythical symbols, and were also fitted with musical instruments to create sounds as they were flown.

Later the kites worked as an inspiration for the Wright brothers to create an airplane. They constructed a 1.5m box kite in the shape of a biplane when they were experimenting with the principles of controlling an airplane in flight. This helped the Wright brothers accomplish their dream of designing the first ever controlled, heavier-than-air, human flight of the world. American Physicist Benjamin Franklin also used a kite for his famous and courageous experiment to prove that lightning is a form of electricity. See here how Franklin executed his famous kite experiment. http://www.benjamin-franklin-history.org/kite-experiment/