A weapon of mass destruction (WMD for short) is defined as "a nuclear, biological or chemical instrument or tool which can kill large numbers of human beings, animals and plants." If you accept this definition, whether or not the use of the instrument was intentional or not, then New Hampshire can claim its very own.
When European explorers and settlers arrived on New Hampshire's shores, the Native Peoples of New Hampshire (Penacook, Abenaki, and Pocumtucks) numbered in the tens of thousands. By 1631 between about 500 and 1200 remained. Physical interaction between the Native People's and the colonists had caused this decimation by the introduction of a variety of diseases,
with smallpox being the deadliest.
By 1763 the use of small pox
to purposefully reduce the number of Native Peoples (a suggestion by Francis Parkman) was agreed to by General (Lord)
Jeffery Amherst. The town of Amherst in Hillsborough County New Hampshire is named in honor of Lord Amherst.
By the time of the American Revolution, the dread of being exposed to small-pox while serving in the army was greater than the dread of the enemy. In New Hampshire offers as high as fifty dollars were advertised for substitutes.
Go figure.
Last month, University of New Hampshire police were made aware of a reported male "peeper" in Devine Hall.
Of course it was all supervised fun.
Mary Jo Ray of Westmoreland NH not only turned 112 in May of this year, but for the party she wore the 94-year old sweater she knitted when she was 18.
Apparently the Public Service Company of NH believes the claw marks left on utility poles by black bears are interesting.
Davis Wolfgang Hawke (nee Andrew Britt Greenbaum) the notorious Spam Nazi (aka Spam King) sued by AOL is still missing and apparently incognito. [See here why he is called the Spam Nazi].
