sometimes, i love humans.
Tartar Siege of Kaffa
One of the earliest uses of “biological warfare” occurred in 1346 in Kaffa, a city on the Black Sea held by the Genovese, said Dr. Freifeld. In an attempt to take back the city, Tartar warriors from western Asia camped outside the city walls and besieged the town.
At this time, 67 percent of the European population was afflicted with plague, Dr. Freifeld noted. And the Tartars were no exception. Soon the disease began to spread through their encampment.
Thinking they could end the siege by passing on the disease, the Tartars began catapulting plague-infected bodies and heads over the city walls, she said.
