GO FLY A KITE!

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Illustration Credit: "Misery", by Suzanne Heller

Image Credit: Stewf@flickr.com

1. It is now thought that the first kites flown over 3000 years ago, were made from leaves. In fact, people flew kites 1,000 years before paper was invented!

2. Kite flying was banned in Japan in 1760 because too many people preferred to fly kites than work. And, in the twentieth century, large kites were banned in East Germany because of the possibility of lifting people over the Berlin Wall.

3. Kites have been used for centuries for fishing and have been used in many sea rescues.

4. Kites are used for bird scaring, forecasting the weather and frightening evil spirits away. And in the Orient, kites are given to someone to bring them happiness, good luck, prosperity and cure illness.

5. In 1901 Marconi used a Hexagon kite to transmit the first radio signals across the Atlantic, the kite line was used as the aeriel. And, in WWII the Royal Air Force issued pilots with a 'rescue kit' comprised of a dingy and a folding box kite called a "Gibson Girl" which enabled them to send an SOS message from a portable transmitter with the kite line acting as the aerial.

6. There are 78 rules pertaining to kite fighting in Thailand.

7. There is at least one Kite Festival every weekend of the year in some part of the world. And some of them are even held indoors!

8. Kite Records: The smallest kite in the world which actually flies is 5mm high. The largest number of kites flown on a single line is 11,284, this record is held by a Japanese kite-maker. The longest kite in the world is 1034 metres (3394 ft). The largest kite in the world is the Megabite 55 x 22 metres (630sq metres). The fastest recorded speed of a kite is over 120 mph. (193 km/h). The record for the highest single kite flown is 3801 metres (12,471ft) for a train of kites 9740 metres (31,955 ft). The world record for the longest 'kite fly' is 180 hours. And, some Japanese kites weigh over 2 tons!

9. There are over 50 million kites sold in the USA every year.

10. Kite flying is one of the fastest growing sports in the world, with more adults in the world than children flying them!

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Source: www.kiteman.co.uk

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Image Credit: dayseyes@flickr.com

1. Thou shalt not fly thy kite, (be it a pink elephant, a giant squid, or a crazy cow), near any buildings or trees. (They will only cause turbulence and definitely spoil your fun!)

2. Thou shalt not fly thy kite near power lines. (You might be a tad embarrassed when you have to call the power utility to retrieve your kite. And if that isn't bad enough, the long wait will cut into your your flying time.)

3. Thou shalt not fly thy kite near a busy street. (Kites, kids, not to mention cars and trucks don't mix. Don't forget, if your kite causes an accident, you'll be on the hook for all the damages!)

4. Thou shalt not fly thy kite in rain or thunderstorms. Benjamin Franklin and Luke Skywalker aside, flying a kite in a storm is a good way to get electrocuted. The Force is definitely not with you, and besides, the lightening will set your kite on fire and leave you a tad frazzled!)

5. Thou shalt not fly thy kite within three (3) miles of an airport.Yup, the wind velocity is probably superb there, but aviation regulators say "No Way" and you don't really want to spend any time in the hoosegow where kite-flying is definitely a no-no!

Here are a few quotes about kites to keep you flying high!

-- "He's as high as a kite!" (A metaphor meaning a lounge-lizard who's had one too many libations for his own good!)

-- "Don't ignore the small things -- the kite flies because of its tail." -- Hawaiian proverb

-- "Imagination is the highest kite one can fly." -- Lauren Bacall, (American actress)

-- "Throw your dreams into space like a kite, and you do not know what it will bring back, a new life, a new friend, a new love, a new country." -- Anais Nin (French-born American author, 1903-1977)

-- "Don't be afraid of opposition. Remember that a kite rises against the wind not with it." -- Winston Churchill, (British statesman, orator, author, and artist, 1874-1965)

--"You will find truth more quickly through delight than gravity. Let out a little more string on your kite." -- Alan Cohen, author

-- "Waiting for the fish to bite or waiting for wind to fly a kite. Or waiting around for Friday night or waiting perhaps for their Uncle Jake or a pot to boil or a better break or a string of pearls or a pair of pants or a wig with curls or another chance. Everyone is just waiting." -- Theodor Seuss Geisel, a.k.a. 'Dr. Seuss', (American cartoonist, author, and publisher of children's books)

-- "I think my four-year-old has come up with a new metaphor. We don't want 'everything out of life', we 'want everything and a kite'!" -- Ray Romano, American comedian

"The reason for the kite to fly happily in the sky, is not because it's free,
It's because there is a string that will eventually tug it close.
Even if it could fly freely, no matter how hight it flies...
Even if it could reach the outer space, it wouldn't be happy.
Beyond that string is a place to go home to.
Even if it gets tattered and torn, or becomes useless,
There is a gentle hand that will hold it close.

-- (Japanese Drama) -- Kimi wa Petto

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Image Credit: la_salebete@flickr.com

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Image Credit: Awesomealot@flickr.com

• Finding Neverland
• The Kite Runner
• The Kite
• Airborne in the Red Triangle

Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790) was one of the Founding Fathers of the United States of America. A man of many talents, Franklin was a noted author and printer, satirist, political theorist, politician, scientist, inventor, civic activist, statesman, and diplomat. He used a kite to prove that lightening is a form of electricity.

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Image Credit: nickgraywfu@flickr.com