Booby traps are perhaps the oldest weapon type we know of. Before we could make melee and projectile weapons, traps were the preferred way to catch game. Of course, a simple pre-historical trap from our hunter-gatherer days could hardly be compared to the elaborate – and deadly – mechanisms found in today’s booby traps, though the idea has always been more or less similar.
Of course, not all booby traps are equal, as it’s a broad definition to begin with, anyway. Something as simple as a buried knife in the ground could technically be called a booby trap, as it perfectly fits the definition. Simple booby traps, however, are not why we’re here today. Our focus for this one would be on the deadliest and most well thought-out traps in history, the ones that stand out for their ingenuity and effectiveness.
From the many uses of snakes in the Vietnam War to the elaborate, mysterious network of traps found underneath Qin Shi Huang’s Tomb, here’s the scariest and most effective booby traps ever deployed.
This is an encore of one of our previous lists, as presented by our YouTube host Simon Whistler. Read the full list!