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Carrier pigeons were used for centuries to relay messages over long distances, playing crucial roles in wartime communication and early news networks.
Their importance began to decline in the mid-19th century with the invention of the telegraph, which could transmit information much faster and more reliably.
Ancient Egyptians pioneered pigeon-based communication over 3,300 years ago, with evidence from Pharaoh Akhenaten's reign (1353-1336 BCE) showing pigeons released from cages in bas-reliefs.
These feathered messengers would remain one of humanity's most reliable long-distance communication methods for over three millennia.
The use of messenger pigeons at the Ancient Olympics dates back to at least 776 BC, when athletes brought homing pigeons from their villages to carry news of their victories home.
By the 5th century BC, Cyrus the Great had established an entire network of pigeon messengers across Assyria and Persia.
Sultan Nur ad-Din's establishment of a regular messenger pigeon service between Baghdad and Syria in 1167 marked a significant leap in long-distance communication, utilizing homing pigeons that could navigate hundreds of miles with uncanny precision.
Pigeon racing, which began in early 19th century Belgium and quickly spread worldwide.
It became so popular that by the late 1800s, Belgium alone boasted over 150 racing societies and thousands of dedicated lofts.
With even the British royal family getting involved in pigeon keeping.
Paul Julius Reuter, born Israel Beer Josaphat, revolutionized news dissemination in the 19th century by founding Reuters news agency and employing carrier pigeons to transmit information between cities.
Reuter's fleet of 45 homing pigeons flew between Brussels and Aachen in 1850, delivering stock prices and news faster than traditional postal services and bridging a gap in telegraph lines. Giving birth to one of the world's most influential media empires.
During the Franco-Prussian War's Siege of Paris (1870-1871), carrier pigeons became an ingenious lifeline for communication, with an estimated 115,000 messages successfully delivered to the besieged city.
René Dagron pioneered microphotography techniques that allowed each pigeon to carry up to 20 messages at once.
The Great Barrier Pigeon-Gram Service, operating from 1897 to 1908 on a remote New Zealand island, pioneered the world's first airmail stamps and revolutionized communication by using homing pigeons to carry messages to the mainland.
Among the service's most astonishing aspects were that it was created in response to a tragic shipwreck, it allowed miners to stake gold claims via bird-delivered messages, and its stamps.
Though unofficial and short-lived—it has become highly prized collectors' items—commemorated a century later by New Zealand's official postal service.
During World Wars I and II, homing pigeons played critical roles in military communications, with Cher Ami famously completing a crucial 25-mile flight in just 25 minutes despite being severely wounded, saving 194 American soldiers.
In an even more astonishing feat, during World War II, the British dropped 82 pigeons into the Netherlands as part of Operation Market Garden.
In the early 21st century, carrier pigeons were still being used for emergency communications by the Odisha Police in India, particularly after natural disasters, despite the widespread adoption of modern telecommunications.
As of the early 2010s, the Odisha Police maintained 168 pigeons in two centers, occasionally releasing them during state-level functions and ceremonial parades to symbolize peace and harmony.
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