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The largest of the flying pigeon breeds, the Old English Carrier was originally used for sending messages. By the mid 19th century, the points in the standard of the English Carrier were deemed to have been achieved, and the breed was praised for its "perfectness to which all the points most admired have been brought". [3]
The world's first "airmail" stamps were issued for the Great Barrier Pigeon-Gram Service from 1898 to 1908. [23] In the 19th century, newspapers sometimes used carrier pigeons. To get news from Europe quicker, some New York City newspapers used carrier pigeons. The distance from Europe to Halifax, Nova Scotia, is relatively short.
The pigeons that were still alive were now official property and were sold at the Depot du Mobilier de l'Etat. Their value as racing pigeons was reflected by the average price of only 1 franc 50 centimes, but two pigeons, reported to have made three journeys, were purchased by an enthusiast for 26 francs.
The US Army discontinued using pigeons as message carriers in 1957. Fifteen "hero pigeons" were donated to zoos, and about a thousand other pigeons were sold to the public. [4] An aluminum PG-14 message holder for attachment to a war pigeon's leg, U.S. Army Signal Corps, World War I. 1 x 2.9 cm, 1.7 gm
A carrier pigeon's job was dangerous. Nearby, enemy soldiers often tried to shoot down pigeons, knowing that released birds were carrying important messages. Some of these pigeons became quite famous amongst the infantrymen for whom they worked. One pigeon, named “Spike”, flew 52 missions without receiving a single wound. [2]
The on-site library keeps a range of material on pigeons. [6] [11] The museum also operates an aviary, called the World of Wings, [2] which sits across the street from the main building, containing a flock of 200–250 pigeons. Some of the pigeons, many of which are loaned to the museum, are available to be viewed and handled by the public.
Dead pigeons were commonly stored by salting or pickling the bodies; other times, only the breasts of the pigeons were kept, in which case they were typically smoked. In the early 19th century, commercial hunters began netting and shooting the birds to sell as food in city markets, and even as pig fodder. Once pigeon meat became popular ...
The United States Army also utilized carrier pigeons, creating a pigeon corp in 1917. [6] During World War I, one bird, Cher Ami , delivered twelve mission essential messages in France. Cher Ami was shot down during the mission, which resulted in her being blinded in one eye, wounded in the chest, and her leg being so wounded that it dangled by ...