Did you know that the largest number of kites to be flown simultaneously is an astounding 12,350?
According to the Guinness Book of World Records, this amazing feat was accomplished on July 28, 2011, by children of the Gaza Strip at a United Nations Relief and Works Agency Event held at Al-Waha Beach, Gaza Strip. Kites had to stay in the air for a minimum of 30 seconds. Believe it or not, a whopping 2,231 kites were disqualified during this attempt for not remaining airborne the required amount of time.
Here are some more fun facts about kites:
The smallest kite in the world that flies is a minuscule 5mm, to put this in perspective, that is the size of a typical pencil eraser.
The largest kite in the world is the Al Madj kite, which translates into, “ the Glory kite.” It was designed by the Qatari poet Husain al Khayarin, who wished to accomplish an extraordinary feat for his country. The gargantuan kite was made in the colors of the Qatari flag and features the image of the Emir, HH Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani. The kite came in at 2,673 square meters and was given a test run in China before being flown in Qatar in December of 2018.
The fastest recorded speed of a kite is 120 mph.
The world altitude record for a kite is an astonishing 12,471 feet
The record for a kite to stay aloft is 180 hours.
The earliest written record of flying a kite is in China, circa 200 BC, lending credence to the claim that the Chinese invented the kite. A Chinese General named Han Hsin of the Han Dynasty flew a kite over the walls of a city his army was invading, to measure the distance his men would have to tunnel to circumvent the city’s defenses.
Kite flying was banned in Japan in 1760 due to the large number of people who would fly kites instead of going to work, The kite was also banned during the Chinese Cultural Revolution., and violators were incarcerated for three years.
Benjamin Franklin used a kite to prove that lightning was electricity.
In 1887, a British meteorologist took the first aerial photograph with the aid of a kite.
Guglielmo Marconi used a kite to help lift an antenna used to receive the first transatlantic radio message on Dec. 12, 1901.
The Normans used kites to send signals during their invasion of England during the Battle of Hastings.
Kites have been used for eons for fishing and are used for that purpose to this day in Indonesia.
In Eastern Asia, kites are given as gifts to give the recipient happiness, good luck, prosperity and to cure illness.
Early Japanese builders used kites to lift tiles and other materials to workers on the roof while constructing temples and shrines.
There was a stagecoach service between London and Bristol in 1826 that used kites instead of horses.
Orville and Wilbur Wright began their aeronautical experiments by testing kites. The early prototypes utilized box-shaped kites and hand held controls. These controls were the precursor to the hip control that was used on their 1903 airplane.
RAF pilots were issued an emergency kit made up of a dingy and a folding box kite called a Gibson Girl. This kite allowed downed pilots to send a distress message from a portable transmitter with the kite line acting as the antenna.
You are now equipped with a mountain of minutiae regarding kites, If only Jeopardy let you pick just one category.
