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Nikki Tundel
St. Paul, Minn.

Pigeons: friend or foe?

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Bird is the word
It was a pigeon that delivered the results of the first Olympics in 776 BCE and a pigeon that brought news of Napoleon's defeat at Waterloo 2,500 years later.
J R Compton

These days, pigeons are often dismissed as "flying rats." But, for most of history, the birds were revered by humans.

In ancient Mesopotamia, pigeons were worshiped as fertility goddesses.

Pigeons served in both World Wars and were credited with saving the lives of thousands of soldiers.

The march of the pigeons
The Queen of England raises pigeons. Pablo Picasso painted them. And B.F. Skinner taught them to play ping-pong.
Rajiv Lather

The Reuters news empire was founded on the wings of pigeons. The company used the fowl to deliver reports to its central office.

Charles Darwin even based his theory of evolution on pigeons. In fact, the entire first chapter of his "Origin of Species" is dedicated to the birds.

And Noah's dove? A pigeon.

Reporter Nikki Tundel examines how pigeons went from feathered friend to foe.

Gallery
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Bird is the word
It was a pigeon that delivered the results of the first Olympics in 776 BCE and a pigeon that brought news of Napoleon's defeat at Waterloo 2,500 years later.
J R Compton