A kite is a light frame wrapped in paper, plastic, or fabric, generally with a stabilizing tail, and intended to be flown at the end of a long string in the air.

Kites are supposed to have originated in Shandong, China’s easternmost province, and were spread across Asia by traders who transported them to India, then to Korea. In various locations, unique kite types evolved, as well as various cultural goals for flying them. Kites made of bamboo and covered in silk and paper were common in the early days. In 1295 B.C., European traveler Marco Polo wrote about kites and how to fly them. Kites had become popular as children’s toys by the 16th century, thanks to books and literature that popularized them. Eventually, kites were used for scientific research. Alexander Wilson, a Scottish meteorologist, used a kite-mounted thermometer to measure air temperature at 3,000 feet in 1749.

In 1752, Benjamin Franklin used a kite to demonstrate that lightning is electricity. When the Wright brothers were developing the first airplane in the late 1800s, they used kites for their study. New kite designs began to take flight in the first half of the 20th century.

For millennia, kites have been used to ward off evil, send messages, raise banners, represent the gods, uncover natural phenomena, drop propaganda leaflets, propel craft, spy on adversaries, photograph the Earth, broadcast radio signals, measure the weather, transport passengers into the sky, and catch fish. Kites are currently flown for sport and enjoyment, as well as as a traditional form of artistic expression. The kite was the first aircraft to take to the air, and it served as a forerunner to manned flight.