The modern racing pigeon is believed to have been developed in the early 18th century in Belgium and England. The first known recorded race was held in Belgium in 1815. The first races covered only a few miles, but with the development of the railroad system it was possible to take the pigeons farther and farther for races. During the last half of the 1800s homing pigeons were imported into the United States, and by the 1890s, clubs in New York and New Jersey were having pigeons return from 500-mile races on the day of release.