Reply #29: You're thinking of the Sepoy Rebellion.... [View All]

[Demoiselle]

...At least that's what I thought of when I read the post. Muslim troops serving the British Raj back in 1850's (I think) were set off into open rebellion against their officers by a rumor that the grease they were given to grease their rifles was actually pig fat. This rumor wasn't the only thing to the rebellion--it was, I believe,just part of a whole complicated plot to overthrow British rule...but it ended in tremendous savagery on both sides. (Phrases like the Black Hole of Calcutta come from that period.)