Spring and Fall are the perfect time to go fly kites! I know my kids adore flying kites in the open grass when its a bit warmer with a beautiful breeze keeping their kites high up in the skies. These cute kite coloring pages for kids will keep them entertained even when they can’t go out flying kites! They can color the kites any color they want and cut them out and make fun decorations and banners all over the house to remind everyone about the fun of Kites.
The History of Kites:
Kites date back thousands of years and today have developed into many forms and uses throughout the world.
Kites appear in the culture and history of many countries around the world. They have been worshipped as religious symbols, used as instruments of war, been developed as tools and simply a form of entertainment and enjoyment.
It is thought that the first kite was probably flown in China around 1000 BC.
Until the eighteenth century in Europe, kites were almost exclusively a children’s plaything.
Eventually scientists and inventors began to realize their potential. In 1749 there is the first recorded use of a kite in a meteorological experiment using a train of kites to measure the temperature at different altitudes. A few years later Benjamin Franklin successfully demonstrated the electrical nature of lightening by flying a specially designed kite in a thunderstorm.
The potential for kites to be used as a form of lifting fascinated scientists and inventors. One of the most flamboyant was Samuel Franklin Cody a showman and cowboy from Texas. He developed a complex man lifting system, which was used as a method of army artillery observation.
Meanwhile other aviation pioneers such as the Wright brothers were experimenting with gliding kites.
In the Second World War, pilots shot down over the sea used the Gibson Girl survival kite. The collapsible box kite was flown on a fine wire aerial which could transmit a distress signal.
The development of today’s sophisticated kites is largely thanks to two American scientists: aeronautical engineer Francis Rogallo patented the design of the “Flexible Kite” which was the precursor to the modern delta wing used in hang gliders and modern sports kites. His flexible wing idea was taken up by NASA and developed as a re-entry parachute for the recovery of returning space capsules and rocket boosters.
Today the world of kites is very large with a great number of admirers both adult and child. Ranging from fun children’s toys to the latest state-of-the-art sports kites and monster power kites that can hurtle a buggy along a beach at speeds of 50 mph or propel a kite surfer through the waves in spectacular fashion, kites are everywhere and a wonderful part of history.
