On the morning of June 12, 1944, a pigeon named Paddy was making an epic 368-kilometer journey.

It’s the morning of June 12th, 1944 and a pigeon named Paddy is making an epic 368 kilometer journey. He manages to dodge Nazi falcons then beats on through stormy weather, flying an average of 79 kilometers per hour for almost five hours straight. Paddy’s carrying the first news of the D-Day invasion back to England. He wins a medal for gallantry for this accomplishment. Paddy was one of around 250,000 pigeons used by the British during World War II to speedily transport secret messages. In fact, pigeon delivery systems are ancient human practices.