ca. 2000BC 

China

Kites pull wheeled vehicles over the China plains

ca. 1700 

Samoa

Kites are used to propel canoes

ca. 1720

USA

Benjamin Franklin uses a kite to pull himself across a Massachusetts pond on his back

1826 

England

George Pocock patents his char-volant (a carriage pulled by his collapsible arch-top flown on 4 lines), which carries 4-5 passengers near Bristol, England at speeds up to 33km/h

Nov 6 1903 

France-England

Samuel Franklin Cody crosses the English Channel from Calais to Dover (38km) by a kite drawn collapsible ballasted canoe.

Summer 1988 

Greenland

Martin Block, Gunther Kerber, Udo Krieger, Michael Krug and Frank Wagner cross Greenland unsupported from East to West on a Parawing-pulled sled. First kite crossing.

Nov. 1992 - Feb. 1993 

Antarctica

Sir Ranulph Fiennes and Dr. Mike Stroud cross the Antarctic continent unassisted, travelling 2,380km in 95 days using an Up-Ski chute. First unassisted crossing of Antarctic continent.

Nov. 1996 - Jan. 1997

Antarctica

Borge Ousland crosses Antarctica, travelling 2800km in 66 days on skis pulled by a Parawing. First solo and unassisted crossing of Antarctica