All About Kites

All about kites

Introduction A kite is one of the oldest, simplest toys. People all around the world enjoy flying kites. Kites come in every size, shape, and color you can imagine. Did you know that kites are designed to be both toys and tools? Some kites are made to be art as well.

Kites were named after a bird with wide wings that soars high in the sky on air currents. No one knows who made the first kite. But Chinese writers wrote about them over 2, 000 years ago. One famous Chinese legend tells a story about a man who used a kite to attack a fort. He couldn't find a way to get inside. So he tied himself to a huge kite and flew over the fort's wall! The soldiers were terrified to see a man flying, so they ran away.

There is a famous story about the American diplomat and inventor Ben Franklin. He used a kite to prove his idea that lightning was made of electric current. He tied a metal key to a kite string. Then he and his son flew the kite during a thunderstorm. Electricity from the storm clouds ran down the wet string to the metal key When he reached toward the key, he got a surprise. The electricity jumped from the key and gave him a shock! Do not try this dangerous experiment yourself. When Ben Franklin tried it again, he was hurt badly.

Many Uses for Kites People sometimes used kites for fishing. They put a fishhook and bait on the long kite tail. Then they sailed the kite far from shore. The kite tail dragged in the water, so the fish could see the bait. It bit the bait and was caught, and then the kite was pulled in.

Weather kites carried scientific instruments into the sky. They recorded wind speed and temperature high in the clouds.