The History of Kite flying
 In a nutshell!

Kites were brought to Japan about the 7th century by Buddhist monks. They were used to avert evil spirits and to insure rich harvests. Kite flying became very popular in Japan during the Edo period. For the first time Japanese people below the samurai class were allowed to fly kites. The Edo (now Tokyo) government tried unsuccessfully to discourage this pastime as "too many people became unmindful of their work."

Marco Polo carried stories of kites to Europe around the end of the 13th century. Illustrations of the period show non-flying dragon kites on military banners. Sailors also brought kites back from Japan and Malaysia in the 16th and 17th centuries. Kites were regarded as curiosities at first and had little impact on European culture.  The last 50 years has seen renewed interest in kiting. New materials like ripstop nylon, fiberglass, and carbon graphite have made kites stronger, lighter, more colorful, and more durable. Important inventions like Francis Rogallo's flexi-wing and Domina Jalbert's parafoil kites helped develop modern hang-gliders and sport parachutes.

In the 1980's, Peter Lynn of New Zealand introduced a stainless steel kite powered buggy. In the 1990's, kite traction on wheels, over water, and on ice have become increasingly popular. In 1999, a team used kite power to pull sleds to the North Pole.  Info gathered from the  American Kite fliers Association.