10 main historical animals

For all the time of existence on Earth, humanity has seen many conquests, thereby creating its own history. And it is surprising that at every stage of the historical event, a person was always accompanied by some animal.

Our "smaller brothers" not only helped, but were also a source of inspiration. Thus, they have become a significant part of world history. Let's move on to a ranking of the most famous animals in history known to this day.

1. Warhorse Chitak

Chitak was the personal horse of Maharana Pratap, the ruler of the Rajput principality. He took part in the Battle of Haldigati in 1576 and showed his loyalty by serving his master until the very end. When the Mughal commander Man Sil attacked Pratap, sitting on an elephant, Chitak raised his hooves and hit the elephant's head, giving the owner a chance to throw a spear at the enemy, which he did.

During the attack, the tusk of an elephant pierced the horse's leg, but Chitak did not fall from pain, but dragged Pratap to a safe place and saved him from death. The horse ran with all his might, but trying to jump over the river, he drowned. The story of his bravery is immortalized in a statue in the city of Rajsamand, as well as in the folklore of Rajasthani.

2. Dog Sergeant Stubby

Sergeant Stubby Pit Bull was a true patriot of his country. He was the very first dog to serve in the US Armed Forces in World War I. In 1916, Stubby befriended a corporal from Connecticut, and went with him to France. There he served in the infantry forces for 18 months. This dog used its keen hearing and sense of smell to detect injured soldiers and warn of impending danger.

Stubby even caught a German spy with his own hand! During the entire service, the dog was wounded several times. After returning to his homeland in 1918, he was awarded medals of courage and this pit bull immediately became famous. In 1926, the dog died at the age of 10.

3. Homing pigeon Cher Ami

During the First World War, this pigeon served in the postal service of the American army in France. During the battle with German forces, 500 American soldiers were ambushed without weapons or food. Soon the enemy army began to kill them. After failing to gain attention, Major Whittlesey dispatched a carrier pigeon.

This was their last hope. When Cher Amii flew over the battlefield, he was wounded in the chest. The pigeon fell to the ground, but suddenly got up and continued to fly further. He flew another 40 km, but still delivered a letter from the besieged soldiers. Then the pigeon was cured of a wounded leg and was even given a reward. Cher Ami died as a hero on June 13, 1919.

4. Sled dog Balto

Balto was used as a hound dog, she drove loaded sleds. In 1925, during the height of the diphtheria epidemic in Alaska, the antitoxin substance to fight the disease was transported from Anchorage to Nenana by train. From there, the hound carried the substance by sled to Nome.

So he saved many lives of the townspeople. The annual dog sled race held in Nome is dedicated to the memory of this dog and his run. On March 14, 1933, Balto died at the age of 14.

5. The hippopotamus discoverer of Ubert

Uberta, initially mistaken for a male and named Ubert, is best known for her voyage from the mouth of the St. Lucia River to the Eastern Cape in South Africa, which she began on November 28, 1928. The route was 1600 kilometers and took three whole years. But then she became a real star among Africans.

During her trek, she stopped at the mouth of the Mkhlanga River in Natal, then after failing to capture a hippo, she headed to Durban, where she visited a country club and a beach.

Then she went to the Umgani River and finally reached East London in 1931. But despite being protected by the Royal Game decree, unfortunately, a mentally ill poacher shot Uberta to death. During the entire journey, she crossed 122 rivers, and her story surprises listeners even now.

6. Immortal cat

Mr. Sam was a very brave cat who survived three shipwrecks during the Second World War. His first "survival" took place on May 14, 1941 on the warship Bismarck. It was picked up in time by the British battleship HMS Cossack, but this ship was hit by a torpedo and destroyed by the explosion.

But this cat survived again! Having gained the fame of Sam's unsinkable cat, he began to live on the destroyer HMS Ark Royal, which was also torpedoed. Fortunately, this time all the crew members survived, and the cat himself was found floating on the board in a completely calm state. Ironically, Sam passed away at the sailor's house in 1955.

7. Laika - the conqueror of space

Laika was an ordinary yard dog that roamed the streets of Moscow. But suddenly she had the great honor of becoming the discoverer of the unknown space. It was she who was chosen by Soviet scientists in 1957 for a flight aboard the Sputnik-2 spacecraft.

At that time, the technology of returning a rocket from space was not known to mankind, and therefore everyone knew the outcome of the flight in advance. Laika became the first living creature to orbit the Earth. Within six or seven hours, the animal died of overheating, although the official version of her death was only declassified in 2002.

Until then, it was believed that she died of a lack of oxygen after about 16 days. Laika became the first of ten dogs sent into orbit before the first manned flight into space.

8. Astronaut Ham

Born in July 1956, the monkey Ham, at the age of 3, was sent to the US Air Force base, thanks to which he became famous as an astronaut. Ham went into space in the Mercury capsule, and his flight lasted 16 minutes and 39 seconds. His spacesuit and training helped him return to Earth alive.

He didn't even get a single wound (except for a bruised nose). The flight of this monkey led to the mission performed by the spacecraft Freedom 7 in May 1961. Ham lived a happy life and died at the age of 17 in 1983.

9. Mister Magu, a mongoose with a life sentence

The mongoose is a banned animal in the United States. The only exception was Mister Magu. A foreign sailor gave the mongoose to one of the American zoos, where he was soon found and sentenced to death. Deportation to their historical homeland - to India - was announced as an alternative to the death sentence.

This caused a public outcry, people bombarded the city administration with letters. One way or another, the animal was given a reprieve and the mongoose lived the rest of its life in the zoo until his death in 1968.

10. Dolly clone

Dolly has become a world famous sheep. And all because she became the first cloned mammal on the planet. This sheep was born from cloning of the mammary glands of a sheep on July 5, 1996. The cloning procedure took place at the University of Edinburgh, and she herself was named after the American musician Dolly Parton, known for his "bustiness." The world's first sheep clone died of progressive lung disease in 2003.

animals in the hands of the heartless become objects of oppression and exploitation. But there were many other animals that predetermined the history of mankind with their courage and devotion. animals spread a love that goes deep into the hearts of people who devote their entire lives to protecting animal rights. The connection between animals and humans is undeniable.