Who Invented the Kite?

Blend Images – LWA/Dann Tardif/Brand X Pictures/Getty Images

The kite is an ancient device that is believed to have been invented in China by two philosophers in the fifth century B.C. named Mo Di and Luc Ban. Before the kite’s invention, China used wind sails, and it is thought that the first kites were modeled from these items.

It took Mo Di three years to make the first kite, which was carved out of wood in the shape of an eagle. He taught his student Luc Ban how to replicate his invention. Luc Ban modified the design to use bamboo and silk, which is similar to the classic kite construction seen today.