Chrysti the Wordsmith > Radio Scripts

It is exhilarating to watch a kite soar and glide against a high, sapphire sky. A kite is a beautiful plaything; a hobby, an invigorating way to spend a windy spring afternoon. But in other times and on distant shores, kites have worked hard for their makers.

The Chinese, who may have invented these high-fliers two thousand years ago, used them as military signal devices. Other kites, outfitted with flutes and bells, howled and sang in the wind to frighten enemies. "Man lifter" kites were sturdy enough to bear a soldier aloft to spy on enemy movement.

In Thailand, people sent up woven-leaf kites to attract the attention of the north-east wind which brought the annual monsoon rains. For centuries, Asians have flown "fighting kites," specially adapted fliers designed to destroy rival kites in airborne competition.

Europeans were introduced to these devices in the 17th century when English, Dutch and Portuguese trading ships returned to their home ports with kites from the Orient.

This new specie of high-flying contraption was given the moniker kite in the 17th century. The word, however, had been a part of the English vocabulary for 300 years, originally denoting a type of hawk noted for its graceful, gliding flight. The colorful Asian kites reminded English speakers of the original kite -- the bird of prey -- so commonly seen hovering in European skies.

Radio Script > Kite