Pigeons have already been used in wars in the past as means of communicating between the frontline troops and the general staff at head...
Pigeons have already been used in wars in the past as means of communicating between the frontline troops and the general staff at headquarters. Messages written in paper are wrapped around the feet of these pigeons but many have strayed away from its destination and inadvertently reach enemy areas.
They gave a whole new meaning on bird's eye view when German inventor Dr. Julius Neubronner patented a miniature camera mounted on pigeons that operates under a timing mechanism. With his invention, Dr. Neubronner has gained prominence after he presented his 1908 invention at various international expositions in Dresden, Frankfurt and Paris from 1909 to 1911. Many visitors were able to see the arrival of the carrier pigeons with their mounted camera and the photos that were immediately developed for those interested to have as souvenir postcards.
Who would have though that these pigeons were like the drones of their time. The take aerial snapshots of cities before airplanes did and the stunning shots were like from today's Google Street View.
Soon, his invention gained more interest from the military as the potential of pigeon photography gained prominence World War I unfortunately, it soon fade away as the advancement of military aviation has made it possible to get more reliable panoramic shots. Interestingly, it gained a lifeline during the Cold War when the CIA developed a battery-powered camera used in classified espionage missions using pigeon photography.
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