Anyone whose ever flown a kite should be familiar with the sickening feeling – however fleeting – that the kite might pull you into the sky. Well, the ancients were well aware of this feeling, and used kites extensively for various purposes when some feature of flying was needed. The Emperor and tyrant Gao Yang, for instance, used to use kites in an elaborate form of execution and/or scientific experiment. A group of prisoners were all attached to “Paper Owls” that were made out of bamboo. They were then launched from a tower. Only one of the prisoners survived (he was later starved to death in prison). In Japan, one enterprising thief allegedly used a kite to raise himself over a temple, where he was able to steal precious golden scales off the roof without having to break into the temple. In the Battle of Liegnitz, the Mongols got the edge over their Polish and German opponents through the use of a man attached to a kite who threw incendiary bombs down on the European knights. This probably marked the first use of aerial bombardment in history.
– A few thoughts from your friend Saxo