1. They were invented over 2,800 years ago. The very first kites were made in ancient China using lightweight bamboo frames, strong silk fabric, and silk thread.

2. Kites were used as ancient military spies. Thousands of years ago, Chinese generals flew massive kites high above enemy camps to measure distances for tunnels, send secret encoded signals, and even scout troop positions!

3. Benjamin Franklin used a kite to prove lightning is electricity. In 1752, Benjamin Franklin famous fly a kite during a thunderstorm with a metal key tied to the string, showing that lightning is a natural form of electrical energy.

4. Kites helped invent the first airplane. The Wright brothers built and tested giant control-maneuverable kites to study how air flows over wings before they built the world's first motorized airplane in 1903.

5. A kite tail isn't just for looks. A kite's ribbon tail adds weight and drag to the bottom end, acting like a rudder on a boat to stop the kite from spinning wildly or crashing into the ground.

6. There's a whole sport dedicated to "kite fighting." In countries like India, Afghanistan, and Brazil, people fly agile kites called fighter kites. Flyers coat their strings with ground glass powder to try to cut opponent kite strings out of the sky during festivals like Makar Sankranti.

7. They were used to predict the weather. Before satellites and weather balloons existed, scientists in the 1800s strapped thermometers and barometers onto big trains of kites to measure wind speed and temperature high up in the atmosphere!