The Islamic State (IS) is using scorpion bombs to inflict psychological blows to make people panic. Historically, many types of biological bombs have been used to kill people.
ISIS has deployed a variety of weapons in Iraq and Syria. Recently, they used the classic weapon that the Iraqi people used against the Emperor of the Roman Empire Lucius Septimius Severus from 198 to 199: the scorpion bomb . They put live scorpions in crates. When they detonate these devices, scorpions will explode and crawl everywhere to cause fear and confusion for people. In 198, Iraqis stuffed live scorpions into ceramic jars and threw them at the Roman army marching in the fortress of the city of Hatra. With this “living weapon”, Iraq was able to drive away the army of Emperor Septimius Severus after the Roman army had besieged the city for 20 days. Although scorpion bombs do not cause mass deaths, they create terrible “psychological effects”. It makes people “not eating well, not sleeping well” because of fear. (Photo: Flickr).
In the summer of 1763 during the French and Indian War, the British army spread blankets infected with smallpox virus to the area where the native Indians lived and caused an epidemic. A lot of people have died in this pandemic. Smallpox is a disease caused by a virus. The disease is spread through sneezing, contact causing the sick person to have fever, malaise, headache, and sometimes vomiting. Two to four days later, a rash may develop in the mouth and throat and sores on the skin. In about a week or two, the pimples fester. When the acne finally disappears, the patient is no longer infected. 30-50% of infected people die. (Image: Getty).
In 2001, several letters containing anthrax spores were delivered to several media outlets and the offices of two US senators, resulting in five deaths and 22 infections. Anthrax is transmitted by spores and spores can survive in many environments for long periods of time. The three ways anthrax is spread is by inhalation of spores, eating infected meat, or spores stuck to a wound in the skin. When the bacteria multiply in a person, they release toxins into the blood and tissues that cause swelling and cell death. (Image: Getty).
In 1347, the Mongols besieged the city of Kaffa on the Crimean peninsula and threw the bodies of the dead infected with bubonic plague into the city, causing many people to become infected. Plague is transmitted by fleas, causing bacteria to grow in the patient’s throat. Symptoms appear in 2 – 6 days. (Image: Getty).
Germs that attack crops are also scary biological weapons, hitting food and human food. Cutting off the enemy’s food source is a military strategy used many times in history. If soldiers and people lack food, they will be weak, confused and even die. (Image: Getty).