71: The History of Homing Pigeons

Join Morgan and Emileigh as they explore the (surprisingly) extensive history of a bird ubiquitous with bustling urban centers. The homing pigeon has been humanity's most reliable mode of long-distance communication for most of human history!  *Warning* - some mention of animal experimentation. Nothing drastic or disturbing.    Follow us on Instagram!  https://www.instagram.com/illequippedhistory/   Join our Facebook group!  https://www.facebook.com/groups/illequippedhistory   Email us!  [email protected]   Check us out on TikTok!  https://www.tiktok.com/@illequipped.histo   Find us on YouTube!  https://www.youtube.com/@Ill-EquippedHistory    Donate to our Patreon!  https://www.patreon.com/illequippedhistory     Sources:   “Pigeon transfers data faster than South Africa’s Telkom” by Peroshni Govender (ed by Jon Hemming) (Sept. 10 2009) https://www.reuters.com/article/oddlyEnoughNews/idUSTRE5885PM20090909/   “Sa pigeon ‘faster than broadband’” (Sept 10 2009) http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/8248056.stm   “Cocaine carrier pigeons are the latest drug smuggling technique” by Conrad Quilty-Harper (Sept 1 2015) https://www.gq-magazine.co.uk/article/cocaine-smuggling-carrier-pigeons   “Homer Pigeons: Origin, Appearance, Behavior, Care, And More” by Khan Imran (Mar 18 2023) https://avicultureblog.com/homer-pigeons/    “Rock Pigeon” https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Rock_Pigeon/overview    “Pigeon ‘caught with backpack of drugs’” (May 25 2017) https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-40042260   “The System of Military Dove Cotes in Europe”  https://www.gutenberg.org/files/14990/14990-h/14990-h.htm#art10   “Carrier Pigeons (Portugal)” by João Moreira Taveras (Feb 12 2016) https://encyclopedia.1914-1918-online.net/article/carrier-pigeons-portugal/   “Pigeon Homing: Observations, Experiments and Confusions” by Charles Walcott (1996); Journal of Experimental Biology, 199 (1); pp 21-27 https://journals.biologists.com/jeb/article/199/1/21/7360/Pigeon-Homing-Observations-Experiments-and   “Paul Julius Reuter Founds the Reuters News Service”  https://historyofinformation.com/detail.php?id=46#:~:text=In%201850%20Paul%20Julius%20Reuter%20%28originally%20named%20Israel,points%20of%20the%20German%20and%20French-Belgian%20telegraph%20lines.   “Beginners Guide to Racing Pigeons” http://www.pigeonmad.com/beginners_guide_to_racing_pigeons.php   “4. Cher Ami the Pigeon” from Top 10 Heroic Animals, Kayla Webley (Mar 21 2011) for Time Magazine https://content.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,2059858_2059863_2060209,00.html   “How Pigeons Always Find Their Way Home” by Real Science on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4DkMVCzvgRg    “Cairo’s Fancy Flyers” by David Degner and Andrew D. Blechman (2011); Saudi Aramco World, 62(2); pp 5-9 https://archive.aramcoworld.com/issue/201102/cairo.s.fancy.fliers.htm   “Did Ancient Egypt Have a Pigeon Problem?” by Shoshi Parks (Jan 25 2023) https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/ancient-egypt-pigeon-problem   “The Natural History of Birds.” from Book X of The Natural History by Pliny the Elder. Att. to John Bostock, M.D., F.R.S., & H.T. Riley, Esq., B.A., Ed. https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.02.0137%3Abook%3D10   “The pigeon that saved a World War II bomber crew” by Christopher Sleight (Feb 23 2012) https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-tayside-central-17138990    “Indian pigeons lose out to e-mail” (Mar 26 2002) http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/1892085.stm   “Signal Corps Pigeons” by Carter W. Clarke, 1st Lt. (1933). The Military Engineer, 25(140); pp 133-138 https://www.jstor.org/stable/44563742 Sound Credits: pfranzen https://freesound.org/people/pfranzen/sounds/192072/