Most of us think of kites as a toy
that can be used for our amusement only. Very few of us know the history of the
kite as a tool, with dozens of uses. Well, maybe there is one story, of which,
we are aware, and that is, the event when Benjamin Franklin was experimenting
to see if lightning could be attracted to a metal object higher than a nearby
weathervane. Which were often struck by lightning, frequently setting barns on
fire.
In jungle adventure movies we often
see the dramatic scenes, filled with tension, when the heroin or hero has to
cross a flimsy three-rope bridge. Well, how do you think they got the first
thin ropes across a great divide before improved technology? Yes, you guessed
correctly –they used kites --not bows and arrows.
Different color kites have been
used as long-distance communication in some cultures in the same manner smoke and drums have been used in others.
What about the use of kites in
battle? –No, not as bombers, but indicators as to when attacking legions were
in flanking positions, and as signals, as to when more soldiers could come
ashore.
Today, we use electronic GPS systems
but in ancient times kites were used as high-flying waypoints above deserts,
jungles, mountains and seas. Very few of us know the history of the
kite as a tool, with dozens of uses.
|
|
|
