Whisky War episode artwork

EPISODE · Mar 6, 2026 · 11 MIN

Whisky War

from History Dispatches · host Matt and McKinley Breen

In the far north the Kennedy Channel - which is the border between Greenland and Canada - lies tiny Hans Island. The island was claimed by the two neighbors - but it was so inconsequential - no one really bothered with the specifics of who owned what. That was until 1984, when Canadian soldiers landed on the island - raised their flag - and - to help cement their claim - left a bottle of whisky. This is the story of the Whisky War. Sponsor Go to factormeals.com/dispatchespod50off to get 50 percent off and free breakfast for a year. New subscribers only, varies by plan. 1 free breakfast item per box for 1 year while subscription is active. Sources https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/denmark-canadian-deal-hans-island-ends-49-year-old-feud-arctic-isle-rcna33644 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whisky_War https://unric.org/en/the-whiskey-war-how-denmark-and-canada-used-diplomacy-to-solve-a-territorial-conflict/ History Dispatches is part of the Airwave Media Network: www.airwavemedia.com Interested in advertising on History Dispatches? Email us at [email protected] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode metadata supplied by the publisher feed · Published Mar 6, 2026

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