distance away and holds the kite’s string.
If the string is tight, the wind will push
against the kite and raise it. The wind’s
force keeps the kite up.
Many children and adults fly kites for
fun. Some form clubs that hold kiteflying
events. In many Asian countries,
kite flying is part of festivals.
History
People flew the first kites about 3,000
years ago, probably in China. These
kites were strips of bamboo covered with
silk.
Later, scientists used kites to study
weather. In the American colonies in
1752 Benjamin Franklin flew a kite with
a key attached in a thunderstorm. The
key drew electricity from the storm,
proving that lightning was a form of
electricity. Such experiments are dangerous,
however. Ordinarily kites should
never be flown during bad weather.
Kites also teach aerodynamics—how
solid objects move through the air.
Inventors of early airplanes based many
of their ideas on kites.
Military forces have used kites, too.
During the early 1900s kites carried
cameras and even soldiers to spy on
enemies. DuringWorldWar II (1939–
45) soldiers practiced shooting down
planes by shooting at kites.
#More to explore
Airplane • Toy
Klamath and
Modoc
The Klamath and the Modoc were two
neighboring Native American peoples.
They traditionally lived in what are now
Oregon and California. They were separate
tribes, but their languages and cul-
Kites come in many different shapes. tures were similar.
72 Kite BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA
Both tribes got much of their food by
fishing. They also hunted small animals
and gathered roots, berries, and seeds.
During the winter Klamath and Modoc
families kept warm in earth-covered
homes. While on hunting and fishing
trips in the summer, they camped in
shelters made of poles and mats.
The Klamath and the Modoc had little
if any contact with people other than
Native Americans until the early 1800s.
By the 1850s many settlers were invading
Klamath and Modoc lands. In 1864,
after years of fighting, the tribes agreed
to give most of their territory to the U.S.
government. Along with other Indian
groups, they moved onto a reservation
in southern Oregon.
A group of Modoc fled the reservation
and were eventually sent to live in
Indian Territory (now Oklahoma). They
became known as the Modoc Tribe of
Oklahoma. In Oregon the Klamath, the
Modoc, and the Yahooskin Band of the
Snake Indians together become known
as the Klamath Tribes. At the end of the
20th century there were about 500
Modoc and fewer than 3,000 Klamath.
#More to explore
Native Americans
Knee
The biggest joint in the human body is
the knee. A joint is a place where bones
meet. The knee lets the leg straighten
and bend. It also supports the weight of
the body above it.
The Human Knee
Two large bones, the femur and the
tibia, meet at the knee. The femur is the
A photograph from the 1920s shows a
Klamath woman preparing food.
Humans, chickens, and all other animals
that have a backbone and legs have knees.
BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA Knee 73
thigh bone, and the tibia is the shin
bone. Ligaments, or tough strands of
tissue, connect the bones to each other.
A layer of springy tissue called cartilage
cushions the ends of the bones. A
smaller bone called the patella, or kneecap,
sits at the end of the femur. The
patella protects the front of the knee
joint.
A large muscle group in the thigh comes
together at the knee. It makes the leg
straighten. When the leg is straight, the
knee’s ligaments tighten. This prevents
the lower leg from rotating. Other
muscles in the thigh make the leg bend.
Knees of Other Animals
All vertebrates, or animals with a backbone,
that have legs also have knees. In
many animals, including birds and
horses, it looks as if the knees of the
hind legs bend backward. These joints
are actually ankle joints, not knees. The
knees, which are higher on the leg, bend
forward like human knees.
#More to explore
Bone • Leg • Muscle
Knight
Today the king or queen of England
makes people knights to honor good
work. Male knights are called Sir.
Female knights are called Dame. Hundreds
of years ago knights were very
different. They served an important role
in society during the period called the
Middle Ages (AD 500–1500). A knight
then was a fighter of wars. He rode a
horse and served a lord, or powerful
landowner.
In the Middle Ages, a knight started
training at about the age of 7. He was
sent to live in the house of a lord.
There he was a page. A page did odd
jobs. He also learned different skills,
including reading, writing, and
hunting. At about age 12 he became a
squire. A squire served a knight and
learned how to use swords and spears.
He also learned how to get around in
body armor. At about age 21 the squire
promised to serve a lord. Then the
squire became a knight.
Knights were important during the Crusades.
The Crusades were wars between
Christians and Muslims. Knights, who
were Christian, traveled to the Middle
East to fight Muslims between 1095 and
1291. Several orders, or organized
groups, of Christian knights formed
The word
knight comes
from the Old
English word
cniht, which
means
“horseman.”
A picture from the 1300s shows knights on
