Tech article

Dr Julius Neubronner's Miniature Pigeon Camera

Hacker News | Sep 15, 2026 | vitonsky

Automated excerpt

In 1907 the apothecary and amateur pigeon fancier Dr Julius G. Neubronner presented a solution to the German patent office — the pigeon camera. Since 1903 Neubronner had been using pigeons to exchange prescriptions and urgent medications with a sanatorium a few miles from his home in Kronberg near Frankfurt. Scroll through the whole page to download all images before printing. The German patent office objected to Neubronner’s application on the grounds that domestic pigeons could not possibly carry a 75 gram load.

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