Chronological History of Kite

History of Kite

B.C 1500 – It is debated where kite appeared first time. According to historians’ opinion, first place of kite might be China, Malaysia, Indonesia, and South Pacific Islands.
B.C 500 – In B.C 5th century, Kungshu Pan who could make a kite shaped like bird and fly for three days, and Mo Zi who had tried making a kite for three years are famous in Chinese stories. ***
B.C 400 – Greek Archytas made wooden kite which shaped like swan and flew it successfully. This is the oldest record in Europe archive but it is still debated was it kite or not.
B.C 206 – General Han Xin used kite for measure the distance of his army and ramparts of city which they surrounded. Owing to this calculation, he determined how many metre tunnels they need digging.
B.C 202 – Emperor Huan Teng used kite during the war and distracted enemy army. ***
105 – Paper was invested and became kite’s one of the most important materials.
105 – Romans designed special cloth kites and use them as a flag.
500 – Kites are used to air red lanterns by Chinese.
509 – Chinese Emperor Wu Ti put a letter inside of the kite for calling back up force.
625 – Kites are mentioned in India Pançatantra stories known as Kelile and Dimne.
637 – Kite is used in Korea first time. During Silla Dynasty, Commander Kim Yu Şin was attendant about stop the rebellions. He tied fire ball and of the huge kite and flew it. Rebels thought that, it is a star and going to heaven. Then, they stopped the rebellion.
675 – Kite is used in Japan first time. In Nara era, kite is introduced to Japanese people by Buddhist missionary who came from China.
713 – China Emperor Xuan Zong loved watch kites which flew in Yichun Garden. ***
900 – Chinese Li Ley tied bamboo flute to kite and made it musical.
960/1126 – Flying kite became popular activity in China. Chinese public believed that flying kites was getting rid of bad souls. They were repeating that every month’s 9th day.
981 – The kite word is written for the first time in the Japanese dictionary which called ‘’Wamyo-Ruiji-Şo’’. The kite is termed as ‘’kami – tobi’’ and it means wooden bird. This work was written by Minamoto Şitago and this is the oldest document about kites in Japan.
1232 – Jin Dynasty who surrounded by Mongolia used kites for send message to enemy soldiers.
1250 – Islam World started using kites. It became famous Cairo to Dubai. The kite is introduced by Turks and Mongols. It became an activity to spend time for rich people.
1295 – Famous sailor Marco Polo took from Malaya Islands to Holland. So, West part of World meet kite first time.
1326 – Author Melemete used kite drawing on his book.
1405 – Kite has been seen in German records first time. Windsocks which similar to kite were used by German army. “Drachen”, still used in German as a kite, is the name given to these Dragon-shaped windsocks.
1558 – A huge kite is flown for celebrate Hikuma Castle’s Prince’s biggest son Yoşihiro’s birthday at Japan’s Hamamutsu region. After that, this region started celebrate with flying kite every first son’s birthday and it called ‘’Son Day’’. This tradition still continues wij Japan Hamamutsu Festival.
1589 – Italian author Giovanni della Porta mention about kites in his book.
1599 – Although not certain William Shakespeare is known to have joined a group which called ‘’King’s Kite Fliers’’ but this group might be about haunting ‘kite’ bird more.
1618 – Children were seen flying kite in a drawing which describing the town of Netherlands, Middelburg.
1634 – English John Bate tells how to make kite in his book; ‘Mysteries of Nature and Art’. Expression is long and contain a lot of detail. In addition, the book contains a long-tailed diamond kite drawing and this is probably first kite drawing in English book.
1635 – The ‘kite’ word for the first time in John Babington’s book on fireworks ‘Pyrotechnia’.
1646 – Dominiee Athanasisus Kircher mentions about China kites in his book, ‘’Ars Magna Lucis’’.
1650 – Yui-no Sosetsu made a great kite. Yui-no Sosetsu flew over the Shagun Palace with that great kite. That kind of stories were common in 17th century of Japan’s oral literature. **
1655 – Kite is banned in Japan. It was just free for some festivals which only adults can join.
1662 – Chakan Castle, India was burst and destroyed by a torch left with a kite.
1670 – Italian author Francesco Lana, mentioned about how children love kites. ***
1690 – Thailand King Petraja bombed rebels by kites.
1700 – Kite was used good luck prays for harvest by Japans.
1712 – Kakinoki Kinsuke flew for stealing golden sculpture which top of the Nagoya Castle by kite.
1749 – Sweden scientists Dr. Alexander Wilson and Thomas Melville decided to measure air conditions. They flew their thermometers more than 900 metre by kites.
1752 – Benjamin Franklin and his son, William used kite in his famous lightning experiments. As a result of these experiments, Franklin found static electricity inside of light.
1753 – French De Romas did an electricity experiments by kite.
1762 – German Physicist Peter Van Musschenbrock made mathematical calculations on how the kite flew.
1783 – Kite flying is banned in Japan.
1799 – 1804 British Sir George Cayley made human flight experiments with kite and made model plane similar wings to kite.
1809 – ‘’Kite Warrior’’, one of the popular sports in Thailand, started during King II. Rama’s period.
1822 – George Pocock’s usage of kite was one of the most interesting usage. He carried out his 32,19 km/s by kites and he reached 160,93 km/h.
1822 – 1823 – Sir William Parry and George Fisher tied thermometer to kite for measuring heat in Pole.
1835 – James Espy established ‘’Franklin Kite Club’’ for supporting doing scientific experiments with kite.
1848 – Homan Walsh took the first step of the bridge on Niagara Falls thanks to his kite. He started the built of the bridge by passing the rope to the opposite side of his kite. He was fifteen years old. It was the first step of the bridge between U.S and Canada.
1855 – During Russian Wars Admiral Sir Arthur controlled is he reached his goal or not by big kites.
1859 – Cordner designed rescue vehicle with kite for saving sailors.
1865 – Mahlon Loomis placed 2 kites with 18 miles distance and achieved sending wireless telegram messages.
1876 – Joseph Simmon flew over 180 metres by two kites.
1887 – British Meteorologist E.D. Archibold has started ‘kite photography’.
1890 – United States Air Office started researches regularly for discovering high level air. They used kites in these researches.
1891 – William Eddy, used kite trains for make automatic air firms in Blue Hill.
1891 – Chuhachi Ninomiya invested a plane model. This invention was 12 years before the Wright Brothers’ success.
1892 – Australian Lawrence Hargrave invented multicellular ‘Hargrave’ kite.
1893 – Hargrave linked 4 multicellular kites and made them a train. This multicellular train kite flew successfully.
1893 – Edward Boynton invented kite spine for making kites more balanced in New York.
1894 – Captain Baden Powell has designed a kite for the British to be used in the South African War. These kites were used by observer soldiers to determine enemies’ location. Captain Baden Powell was making tests on kites which carrying messages ship to ship at the same time.
1894 – A. Eddy took North America’s first kite air photographs.
1895 – Blue Hill Observatory gave up from Eddy kites and preferred Hargrave kites for making safer flights.
1895 – French Gabriel and Charles Voisin did some works on Hargrave kites and manned kites.
1895 – Invester of ParaKite Gilbert Totten Woglom took New York photos with kites.
1896 – Alexander Graham Bell started kite experiments.
1898 – F.Cody started to working on famous war kites.
1898 – American soldiers preferred kite aerial photography for scouting in the Spanish – American War.
1898 – William Abner Eddy applied to get patent of modern history’s most famous kite, tailless Diamond.
1899 – Wright Brothers used kite to test for the first flying machine (airplane).
1900 – Patent is given to Eddy for diamond kite.
1901 – Graham Bell invented tetrahedral kite.
1901 – Era’s biggest kite was made in Shiga, Japan. It was 1050 kg and 18 m2. 215 people helped to fly.
1901 – Fishing was carried out with kite in England.
1901 – Samuel F. Cody, got patent of the kite can get lift people, and prepared a presentation for his army.
1902 – Wright Brothers performed their first flight by making a model in the kite form of their invention.
1903 – F. Cody, (France) from Calais (England) to Dover through the Sea of Manchu with the help of a train kite.
1904 – Alexander Graham Bell got patent of tetrahedral kite.
1904 – Bell flew a 1400-cell quadrangle kite called Frost King, the ice king, in Baddeck town of New Scotland.
1906 – Photos of San Francisco earthquake were taken with cameras which connected to kite.
1907 – Graham Bell and his four colleagues established ‘’Air Experiments Association’’ to improve manned plane.
1907 – Graham Bell’s huge kite, Cygnet, flew a person over Bras d’Or lake, New Scotland.
1908 – Elephant-shaped ‘Roloplan’ kite was released by the German toy company, Steiff.
1914 – During the First World War British, Italian, French, and Russian armies used kite to sending signs and observation.
1918 – Ed Sprague Jr. İmproved two-rope kite system.
1941-1942 – Paul Garber produced aim kites.
1943 – Paul Garber used kites giving messages from ship to plane at the same time.
1947 – Somerset Maugham published his novel, ‘’The Kite’’.
1948 – George D. Wanner got pattern of flexible kite. Flexible kite is the basis of modern kite.

History of Kite

What are the recent developments?

1950 – William Allison got pattern of Sled kite.
1964 – American Kite Association (AKA) was established by Robert M. Ingraham in New Mexico.
1964 – Domina Jalbert designed parafoil kite. The concepts he found were applied in other kites and parachutes.
1969 – Japan Kite Fliers Association was established by Shingo Modegi and 14 other founders in Tokyo.
1972 – After Peter Powel’s two-rope kite invention, the public began to fly kite for sport as well as games and entertainment.
1976 – Australia Kite Fliers Association was established.
1977 – Tokyo Kite Museum was established in Japan.
1978 – Kazuhiko Aasaba flied 4,128 kites as train kite.
1980 – Richard de Santis from Italy made the longest-tailed dragon kite.
1980 – The kite was flown for the first time in Poles. Dodds Meddock kept his four-cell kite in the air for 6 minutes.
1982 – Don Tabor produced two-rope ‘’Hawaii’’ kite.
1982 – The longest kite flying record was broken outdoors. Harry Osborne and Edmonds College kite team kept J-25 Parafoil kite in the air 180 hours and 17 minutes.
1982 – The kite was flown in the Sahara Desert skies by Mauro Marsilii and Claudia Terzani Stratoscoop for the first time.
1983 – Mehmet Naci Aköz was chosen the most beautiful kite winner at the Kite Festival by Bulvar News in İstanbul. (This activity was not a competition, it was just for fun)
1984 – Turkey’s first kite competition was organized by Mehmet Naci Aköz and Turkish Children Magazine in Üsküdar. In this competition, competition criteria, money and trophy awards were used for the first time.
1985 – Peter Lynn has developed balloon kites known as today’s giant Festival kites.
1985 – Ahmadabad Kite Museum was established in India.
1985 – Hamamutsu Festival Building was established.
1986 – Turkey’s first kite foundation, ‘’Eyüp Kardeş Kite Fliers Association’’ was established by Mehmet Naci Aköz.
1988 – Weifang Kite Museum was established in kite capital of the World; China, Weifang.
1989 – Californian Hadzicki Family started production of four-rope kites and this kite became best seller kite of the world.
1990 – Peter Lynn produced first practical kite vehicle.
1990 – Washington World Kite Museum was established.
1990 – Ikazaki Kite Museum was established in Japan.
1995 – Richard Dutton broke the world record with 101 boxes kite train.
1995 – Kampuchea National Kite Museum was established in Phnom Penh.
1995 – Melaka Kite Museum was established in Malaysia.
1996 – Circoflex kite was invented by Oostveen and Schieffer.
1996 – Turkey’s First Association, Eyüp Kite Fliers Association was established by Mehmet Naci Aköz and his friends. Aköz was chosen founder president. (The Union, which was founded with same name has been brought into legal statues.)
1996 – Taiwan Chiou Fen Kite Museum was established.
1997 – Turkey’s first international kite festival was created in Istanbul. The event, which was designed by Mehmet Naci Aköz, was organized on behalf of Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality. (1^st International Istanbul Kite Festival)
1998 – Students of Inami High School have flown 15,585 kites in train kites and set a record. This record was written in the Guinness Book of Records.
1998 – Owing to Mehmet Naci Aköz’s efforts, In Turkey, it was decided to give kite lessons in schools. (It is still being studied in primary schools in all countries.)
1998 – International Kite Festival was created in Istanbul. The event, which was designed by Mehmet Naci Aköz, was organized on behalf of Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality. (2^nd International Istanbul Kite Festival)
1999 – Peter Lynn developed the self-swelling Waterfoil kite.
1999 – Turkey’s first kite club, Kite Volunteers Club was founded by Mehmet Naci Aköz in Istanbul.
2000 – Peter Lynn has developed ARC Foil kite.
2000 – Space Art Museum was established in Netherlands.
2000 – Canadian Richard Synergy set reaching highest height record for single-stranded kites with 13,609 ft.
2002 – Pasir Gudang Kite Museum was established in Malaysia.
2003 – Indonesia Kite Museum was established in Jakarta.
2005 – Canadian Magenn Power improved circled-kite electric production system.
2005 – Jag Mohan Kanojia made smallest kites in the World.
2005 – Peter Lynn produced the biggest kite of the World for Kuwait. It was pillow kite and done in 750 hours. This pillow kite need 950 m² areas to fly. In addition, this record was written in the Guinness Book of Records.
2005 – Mehmet Naci Aköz Kite Museum was established in Istanbul. (When museum was established, it had 300 pieces from 6 countries). For today (September 2017) Mehmet Naci Aköz Kite Museum has more than 2500 pieces from 6 continents, 33 countries.)
2005 – First kite association of Turkey, Eyüp Kite Fliers Association has been renamed as Istanbul Kite Fliers Association.
2005 – First kite website of Turkey, ‘www.ucurtmadunyasi.com’ was opened by Mehmet Naci Aköz.
2006 – Australian Patrick Spiers and Ben Deacon completed their journey 20% faster than normal skiing owing to kite-skiing.
2006 – Chinese Ma Qinghua flied 43 kites at the same time and it was written in the Guinness Book of Records.
2006 – Drachen Association and Scott Haefner performed 1906 San Francisco earthquake’s aerial photos again.
2006 – Two more similar kite was made to Peter Lynn’s record holder pillow-kite. Those are Gomberg Kites’ American flag pillow-kite and Maasaki Modegi’s Japan art themed pillow-kite.
2007 – A team of Canadian and British researchers has reached the “inaccessible” point of Antarctica by using kites to track the process.
2008 – Kite Museum was established in Peele Island of Canada.
2011 – Maximum kite flown at the same time record was set in the Gaza Strip. 12,350 kites were flying at the same time and this organization was added to Guinness Book of Records by authorities.
2011 – Kelantan Kite Museum was established in Malaysia.
2012 – The longest video with using kite was taken by Canadian Darryl Learie. 27 min, 24 seconds video was taken in 3D. During shooting a Delta-kite mounted on both sides of the cameras were used.
2014 – Australian Robert Moore and his team were flown Dunton-Taylor delta kites 4,879.54 m high by using 12,000 m rope. Thus, Robert Moore set Richard Synergy’s record and written in Guinness Book of Records.
2015 – First kite library of Turkey, ‘’Gülen Okumuş Kite Library’’ was created in Istanbul.
2017 – The first meeting of the “World Kite Museums Association”, which was designed by Mehmet Naci Aköz, was made in the Kite Museum of Istanbul.