3 Biological Warfare Experiments Done By The U.S. Government

Biological Warfare? Sounds like jolly good fun to me. Throw on some Global Thermonuclear War, and it'll be the icing on the cake. Back in the 20th Century, it was a pretty confusing time, who would have known which side would have won the Cold War, who would have known the "Internet" would have become a "big thing"? One thing was clear though, the U.S. didn't have "don't let people know that we're throwing pathogens everywhere to see what happens" on the top of  their budget.

"Coffee doesn't buy itself you know."

1950, Serratia marcescens

During the late 1950's, the United States Navy conducted an experiment that included spraying extremely large quantities of S. Marcescens over San Francisco. It was said that there was one point, in which a cloud made out of S. Marcescens formed up to about two miles long. The idea was to simulate a biological attack from another nation. (Why? Because.)

Because why not?

The experiment was "successful" in the terms that eleven people developed rare, severe urinary tract infections, and one of which, died; Three days after the experiments began. Cases of pneumonia also increased after the experiments began.

The Government claimed that S. Marcescens was existentially harmless at the time. It's safe to say, it's not something you would spread on your kid's peanut butter sandwich for the sake of saving money nowadays.

Then again, it takes up to $190,000 to raise a kid to 18-years-old. Is it worth it?

After the experiments began in 1950, S. Marcescens slowly increased as a cause of human infection. Many of them, are resistance to multiple antibiotics. The experiments continued for 19 years before it was officially shut down. Imagine waking up every morning to the fresh morning dew of S.Marcescen on your morning jog? 

The bacteria has been linked to 19 cases in Alabama during 2011, ten of those people are dead.

On 1981, a lawsuit was filed against the Federal Government for the death in 1950, unsurprisingly, the Federal Judge ruled in favor of the Federal Government.

1956, 1957, Bio-Warfare

During 1956 and 1957, millions of infected mosquitoes were released in major cities in Florida and Georgia. Army Biological Warfare Researchers released the mosquitoes in order to see if the insects were capable of spreading yellow fever and dengue fever. On the other hand, they could simply turned their heads to the right, and noticed that millions are dead every year thanks to infected mosquitoes.

"According to this map, there is a strange landmass located east of our area"

Hundreds of residents in the area contracted multiple illnesses. Many had fevers, respiratory problems, encephalitis, and typhoid. Several people died during the experiments, which is why they had to do it again in 1957.

The Army Researchers that were conducting the study, posed as public health workers, so they could photographs and do medical tests on the victims as they please, without questions.

1966, Bacillus globigii

One day, the U.S. Army didn't feel that we had enough information on how biological weapons could be used against other nations, and how it would impact us back home.

Therefore the only way to test this, was on the streets. On June 6-10, 1966, CIA agents walked around the the city of New York, holding lightbulbs. These lightbulbs, contained "bacillus globigii". The lightbulbs would be inconspicuously dropped on the sidewalk, near subway ventilation gills, or tossed down the roadbed inside the stations. As they shuffled away, aerosol clouds formed out of the ventilation grills, spreading the bacterium around the city. It was noted that when the clouds completely engulfed crowds, the people simply brushed their clothing off and walked on their merry way. Typical New Yorkers.

Just another CIA experiment. Nothing to see here.

It was said that in the time it took for two trains to pass, the bacteria was spread on over 43 streets in NYC. Over 87 trillion spores were released per lightbulb. Being primarily successful in their endeavors, they technically carried out a successful biological attack. Throughout the entire six-day experiment, the only stern look they got was a slap on the wrist from a transit cop for smoking. 

"Smoking Kills More People Than Biological Warfare. It's a fact." ©

Five minutes after the light bulbs broke, they measured about 100,000 spores per breath in the 23rd street station. By June 10, a million New Yorkers would have had hatching spores in the wet delicious warmths of their lungs. Had the spores been anthrax, carried out by a foreign government, it would have been a horrible friday.

The team agreed that the optimal means of dispersal would be dropping a package of spores onto the roadbed of the subways, using the rapidly moving train to effectively spread the bacteria/spores across the city within minutes.

The Chicago Subway System experienced similar Army experiments.

Watch out!