Charles Eliet had a problem. He had a contract to build an engineering marvel—a suspension bridge over the Niagara River. But he had no way of stretching his first cable between the shores. Then Eliet had an idea: fly a kite across the river and use the cord to pull a larger cable across. Eliet announced a kite-flying contest, and young man named Homan Walsh responded. On Walsh’s second try he succeeded in flying his kite to the opposite shore of the river. The vital link was established and the bridge was built.

Today in the Word, MBI Publ., October, 1995