What were paper airplanes called before there were real airplanes? (i.e. untethered?

Paper airplanes were called paper planes before there were real airplanes.

Imagine you're playing with a piece of paper, and you fold it just right, whoosh! It zooms across the room like a tiny bird. That’s what people did long ago, way before cars, trucks, or even flying machines. They made these little paper planes to see how far they could fly.

It’s kind of like when you play with toy cars on the floor, except instead of wheels, your paper plane has wings. You throw it gently, and it glides through the air, just like a real airplane might one day.

People didn’t know they were making something that would inspire real airplanes, but they had fun anyway! And sometimes, when you’re having fun with paper planes, you’re actually learning about how real airplanes fly. It's like practicing for a big race, except your race is in the air!