The dream of flight is fueled by our observation of the birds, and is illustrated in myths across the world (e.g. Daedalus and Icarus in Greek mythology, or the Pushpaka Vimana of the Ramayana). The first attempts to fly also often drew on the idea of imitating birds, as in Daedalus' building his wings out of feathers and wax. Attempts to build wings of various materials and jump off high towers continued well until the seventeenth century.Hot Air Balloons and Kites in China
The Kongming lantern (proto hot air balloon) was known in China from ancient times. Its invention is usually attributed to the general Zhuge Liang (180-234 CE, honorific title Kongming), who is said to have used them to scare the enemy troops:
An oil lamp was installed under a large paper bag, and the bag floated in the air due to the lamp heating the air. ... The enemy was frightened by the light in the air, thinking that some divine force was helping him.
However, the device based on a lamp in a paper shell is documented earlier, and according to Joseph Needham, hot-air balloons in China were known from the 3rd century BC.
During the Yuan dynasty (13th c.) under rulers like Kublai Khan, the rectangular lamps became popular in festivals, when they would attract huge crowds. During the Mongol Empire, the design may have spread along the Silk Route into Central Asia and the Middle East. Almost identical floating lights with a rectangular lamp in thin paper scaffolding are common in Tibetan celebrations and in the Indian festival of lights, Diwali. However, there is no evidence that these were used for human flight.
In 559, human flight using a kite was documented during a succession wrangle in the Northern Wei kingdom, according to the Comprehensive Mirror for the Aid of Government. After the death of emperor Yuan Lang (513-532), his general Gao Huan took over as emperor. After Gao Huan's death, his son Gao Yang, had Yuan Huangtou, son of the erstwhile emperor, launched on a kite from a tower in the capital Ye. Yuan Huangtou floated across the city walls and survived the landing, but was soon executed. Possibly, the capacity of kites to carry humans, as remarked upon several centuries later by Marco Polo, was known even at this time.
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