1978: NOAA announces gender-neutral hurricane naming system
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During World Wars I and II the U.S. Army used the Signal Pigeon Corps to send homing pigeons for communication and reconnaissance purposes. The Army Pigeon Service, as it was also called, included 3,150 soldiers and 54,000 pigeons, which had a message reception rate of about 90%. The birds were trained at the US Army Pigeon Breeding and Training Center was based at Fort Monmouth, New Jersey, and at Camp Crowder. Fifteen “hero pigeons” were donated to zoos, among the most famous being G.I. Joe, President Wilson and Cher Ami, the last of which was awarded the French Croix de Guerre. President Wilson also managed to deliver a message across enemy lines despite his leg and breast being shot. About a thousand pigeons were sold to the public, the last one being sold March 23, 1957.
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