Up, up and away
Ah, breezy spring days. Perfect for flying a kite. Recently, UD’s campus has seen days like these, with winds strong enough to get a kite airborne. Throughout history, Americans have flown kites with notable results. In 1752, Ben Franklin flew a kite in a lightning storm to aid him in the discovery of electricity. In 1899, the Wright brothers (fellow Daytonians) flew box kites to test the idea of wing warping to make a kite in flight — later an airplane — steerable. And in 2023, flying his delta box kite on Central Mall is Joseph Dickman, a first-year mechanical engineering major from Bellbrook, Ohio. Joseph may not be making any major scientific discoveries with his kite, but he says he likes to fly it because it brings people joy.
