Blog Post 4: EOTO - Carrier Pigeon

Each One Teach One - Carrier Pigeons

The use of carrier pigeons revolutionized communications in the ancient world. According to historians, the use of carrier pigeons dates back as far as 2000 BC between warring factions in Mesopotamia (Gandhi). In 776 BC, during the first Olympic Games, it is believed that every athlete was accompanied by a homing pigeon, and if the athlete won, the homing pigeon would carry news of the athlete’s victory to his home village (Gandhi). Carrier pigeons were also used by Cyrus the Great in the 5th century BC for communication between Assyria and Persia (Gandhi). Hannibal and Julius Caesar also made use of carrier pigeons during their military campaigns in 53 BC and 58 BC, respectively (Gandhi). These first uses of carrier pigeons, especially in wartime, were faster than a single soldier or even one on horseback, so the pigeons had the advantage of speed, and the difficulty in catching one or killing one was very difficult. In addition, it cut down on the use of resources and no one’s life was put in danger. One shortcoming of their use arose with the invention of firearms. 

During the Civil War and other wars, the pigeons could be shot down and their messages intercepted. The use of carrier pigeons has persisted long after the age of antiquity. Before the dawn of electricity and the car, carrier pigeons continued to play a role in communication. As Gandhi notes, “The first airmail using pigeons was established in 1896 in New Zealand and was known as the Pigeon-Gram Service. Their speed averaged 77.6 mph, only 40% slower than a modern aircraft. Each pigeon carried 5 messages and special Pigeon-Gram stamps were sold for each message carried.” Even after the Industrial Revolution, carrier pigeons found a niche, especially in wartime. In World War I, carrier pigeons were used to carry messages for many purposes: tanks had pigeons which they would release through holes in the tanks’ sides; mine-sweeping boats carried pigeons that would be released if they were attack by a submarine, resulting in many rescues, and seaplanes would carry pigeons to convey important information about the movement of enemy forces (Gandhi). And in World War II, the use of carrier pigeons continued, with their use by military forces in Europe, India and Burma (Gandhi). In modern times, carrier pigeons have found a special use during natural disasters: “They carried essential messages during two natural disasters: the massive cyclone in 1971 and the unprecedented floods in 1982. Their ability to fly in adverse weather conditions saved many human lives” (Gandhi). Amazingly, the use of carrier pigeons has survived into the 21st century. As Gandhi notes, “The last pigeon messaging service in the world was in Odisha called Orissa Police Carrier Pigeon Service and it disbanded in 2006 after 60 years of active service and 800 birds. Carrier pigeons had provided daily communications between Orissa’s 400 police stations across the state.” For nearly 4000 years, humans have used carrier pigeons for communication purposes in both civilian and military contexts. 

Source “A Fascinating History Of The Carrier Pigeons” by Maneka Sanjay Gandhi, July 6, 2020 https://kashmirobserver.net/2020/07/06/a-fascinating-history-of-the-carrier-pigeons/