Forty Fascinating Facts for Dan's Papers 40th Annual Kite Fly

As the Dan’s Papers 40th Annual Kite Fly gets set to take off on Sagg Main Beach in Sagaponack, we offer 40 fun and fascinating kite facts to honor 40 years of memorable kite flying!

•The world record for the longest “kite fly” is 180 hours. Ours won’t be quite that long, but wow, we admire the dedication!

•Kites were used by the ancient Chinese to ward off evil spirits. Who knew kites could be scary?

•The smallest kite in the world, which actually flies, is 5mm high.

•The longest kite in the world is 1034 meters (3394 ft).

•The record for the highest single kite flown is 3801 meters (12,471ft) and for a train of kites is 9740 meters (31,955 ft).

•The fastest recorded speed of a kite is over 120 mph. (193 km/h).

•The largest number of kites flown on a single line is 11,284. How does a single line hold that many?

•During the American Civil War, kites were used to deliver letters and newspapers.

•More adults in the world fly kites than children. Clearly, kids need to be educated on how fun kite flying can be!

•Around 12 people a year die in kiting accidents throughout the world. Wait, first kites are scary now they are deadly?

•Apparently you do not need wind to fly a kite.

•50 million kites are sold a year in the United States. Kites are definitely a booming business!

•April is national kite month (but we prefer August here in the Hamptons)

•Benjamin Franklin used a kite to show that lightning was in fact electricity.

•Some Japanese kites weigh over 2 tons.

•Kite flying is not popular in Iceland and Russia. These countries need to see how fun the Dan’s Papers Kite Fly is!

•Kite flying is one of the fastest growing sports in the world. Next Olympic event, anyone?

•There is at least one Kite Festival every weekend of the year in some area of the world.

•The Chinese believe that looking at kites in the sky can give a person good eyesight.

•There are 78 rules in kite fighting in Thailand. The Dan’s Papers Kite Fly is a bit less strict.

•Kite flying was banned in China during the Cultural Revolution, and anyone flying a kite was sent to jail for up to three years.

•Kite flying was banned in Japan in 1760, because people wanted to fly kites instead of work. We don’t blame them!

•The biggest kite museum is in Vee Phuong city of China, with 2,000 kites.

•The Russians used kites to tow torpedoes. Those must have been some pretty strong kites!

•The Chinese name for a kite is Fen Zheng, which means wind harp.

•There is currently a movement in Gujarat using kites to convey messages. Lawyers are writing messages on kites to tell people about human rights.

•It seems that early kites were flown 3,000 years ago. They were made of leaves.

•Tom Kite won the U.S. Open 20 years ago. It was golf, not kite flying, but still fairly impressive.

•A kite can be any shape. This is why Dan’s Papers has handed out an award for the Most Geometric!

•The most popular kite shapes are diamond, delta, box and sled.

•The Kite Flying Tournament is won in the popular novel The Kite Runner because the strings of all other kites are severed by shards of glass.

•Teams and pairs of kite flyers often use headsets to communicate during competition… very efficient!

•The airplane is really an upgrade of the kite. More leg room!

•Kites large enough to carry people were banned in East Germany because then people could possible leave over the Berlin Wall.

•Kites are often used as a fishing technique. But we don’t see many trying them in Montuak.

•In 1901 Marconi used a kite to transmit the first radio signals across the Atlantic Ocean.

•In 1964 the song “Lets Go Fly a Kite” was made popular by the movie Mary Poppins.

•Kiteboarding is a sport that combines water sports with kiting.

•A kiteboarder is called a “Charlie Browner.

•The history of kiteboarding dates back to the 13th century. The Chinese used it as a means of transportation. Might not be bad in East End weekend traffic.

We can’t wait to see you at the Dan’s Papers 40th Annual Kite Fly on Sunday, August 5, at Sagg Main Beach, starting at 5:30 p.m. Read more about the Dan’s Papers Kite Fly here.