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SESK: Stuff Everyone Should Know · sesk.info/aero-chinese-kite

Which early Chinese invention helped people start thinking about flying?

The kite, a forerunner of balloons and gliders.

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  1. The kite ✔
  2. The paper airplane
  3. The parachute

Why: Around 400 BC, people in China flew kites for fun. Kites showed that wind could support a surface, an important idea for later balloons and gliders.

Huh, didn't know that: Early Chinese kites were also used in religious ceremonies and to test weather conditions.

The dad joke
Why did the kite get good grades? It always rose to the occasion.
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References

Answer: The kite. Around 400 BC, people in China flew kites for fun. Kites showed that wind could support a surface, an important idea for later balloons and gliders.

  1. NASA Glenn: History of Flight www.grc.nasa.gov/www/k-12/UEET/StudentSite/historyofflight.html
    Kites have been important to the invention of flight as they were the forerunner to balloons and gliders.
    Checked 2026-10-10.

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