News World 10 facts to know about World War I

10 facts to know about World War I

The World War I that started in 1914, marked a centenary this year. A war that shook the world, caused destruction of life and property began on July 28, 1914, when Austria-Hungary declared war on

 1. In 1918 a pigeon, Cher Ami, one of about 100,000 homing pigeons used during the war, managed to save 500 US soldiers.
 
In October 1918, as the war neared its end, 194 American soldiers found themselves trapped by German soldiers. They were cut off from other Allied soldiers and had no working radios. The only chance they had of alerting anybody about their desperate situation was to send a pigeon with their co-ordinates attacked to its leg.

The pigeon's name was Cher Ami. When released it flew 25 miles from behind German lines to the Americans headquarters. Cher Ami covered the 25 miles in just 25 minutes.
 
Despite being shot at by German soldiers, Cher Ami bravely delivered a vital message from the soldiers who had been cut off behind enemy lines.

She lost an eye and a leg, but US army doctors saved her life and gave her a wooden leg. She was awarded the Croix de Guerre for bravery!

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