Kites were used in meteorology as early as the eighteenth century, when two students at the University of Glasgow named Alexander Wilson and Thomas Melville attached thermometers to kites to study the temperature of the air. Commercial kites are usually made in such a way that no tail is required. They all required tails for stability, and many homemade kites still have such tails. "You must take a piece of linen cloth of a yard or more in length it must be cut after the form of a pane of glass fasten two light sticks cross the same, to make it stand at breadth then smear it over with linseed oil, and liquid varnish tempered together…then tie a small rope of length sufficient to raise it unto what height you shall desire."Įuropean kites existed in a variety of shapes, ranging from lozenges to rectangles. His instructions are not unlike the methods still used to make homemade kites today.
The first description of kitemaking in English appeared in 1654 in a book by John Bate entitled Mysteries of Nature and Art. A cord was attached to the kite by a ring sewn into the cloth. A pair of diagonal sticks were attached to the cloth to hold it in place. Early European kites were made of cloth or parchment and sometimes had a long slit with a piece of silk sewn into it to help the kite soar. Written references to kitemaking in Europe date back to 1430 a.d. Eventually, the kitemaking technology was adapted by the Arabs, who in turn brought it to North Africa and Europe. From there it spread to Indonesia, India, and the islands of the Pacific. Kitemaking soon spread from China to Japan, Korea, Burma (now, Myanmar), and Malaysia, regions where kite flying is still an important part of the local culture. Paper was invented around the year 100 a.d. The earliest kites were built of wood and cloth. The Chinese later used kites for numerous purposes, ranging from religious ceremonies to warfare. The first use for kites was probably for signaling at a distance. Kites were probably derived from cloth banners, similar to modern flags, which streamed out in the wind while attached to cords or flexible wooden rods. Written references to kites in China date back to 200 b.c., but they were probably invented at a much earlier time. Kites were first developed in ancient China.
To enable the user to control the movement of the kite, the bridle must be attached to the body of the kite in at least two places. The word kite is derived from the name of a type of bird belonging to the hawk family which is know for its graceful, soaring flight.Ī kite consists of three basic parts: the body, the line, and the bridle that attaches the line to the body. The kite flies because wind resistance causes the air pressure under the kite to be greater than the air pressure above the kite, making the kite rise. A kite is an unpowered, heavier-than-air flying device held to the earth by a line.
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