12 Shortest War Ever

The Anglo-Zanzibar war comes up all the time on lists of curiosities, records, weird things, etc., as the shortest war in recorded history. It certainly is a historical curiosity, but it was still an actual, real war, with stakes and politics behind it. This week’s episode gets into a few details about the shortest war in history, and why (for Zanzibar at least) it was more than just a curiosity. The photograph below shows a part of the Sultan’s palace complex after the war which, depending on which source you read, lasted either 38, 40, or 45 minutes.   Related Links: The Anglo-Zanzibar War is a favorite for factoid sites like Neatorama and Mental Floss. Reporting on the war from the AP in 1896 (requires login). National Geographic on the SE African coast.