The history of kite lasing dates back te Chinese have flown kites for nearly 3,000 years The first kites were made of ilk and bamboo, and they had the same hasic design. Modern kites come in a variety of material crilors shapes and sizes. Over the centuries kites have served many purposes The Chinese used the kites mainly as playthings. However, early kites were also used for military purposes. Large kites were strong enough to carry people up in the air to observe enemy movements. In the Polynesian iilands fishermen have used lcites for the past 250 years. They tie pieces of shark to a kite's tail The shark serves as bait to catch fish. Also in ancient times. Roman soldiers used the kite as a miliary hanner. also influenced Leonardo da Vinci When da Vinci was experimenting with the crncenl of night and flying machines late 1400s. he used difierent kite designs The Wright brothers, who invented the first airplane to fly with a gasoline engine developed interest in flying when they were children. They used to flyktes The then historic flight in 1903 was made on a plane that was inspired by a kite design But winst is the comnection between kites and aeronautics The basic principle that lifts kit is the same that keeps the plane in the air. People have used kiles to study the ughout history, the kie has resulted in many technical breakthroughs and innovations real xplanation of the bite s long life is that flying kites is simply fun.