Wars born at the same time as birth human civilization. They began on a variety of occasions, lasted different times and often claimed the lives of entire peoples as a result. But sometimes events that were completely impossible in their absurdity became the cause of wars. It is about such most strange and most ridiculous wars we will tell.
1 Emu War
Emu- large flightless birds of Australia, previously they were attributed to the ostrich. So, by 1932, the number of these birds on the continent reached 20 thousand individuals. For some reason, they were perceived by the Australian army as a threat, and the army declared war on the emus. For a week, groups of submachine gunners ran through the desert in the hunt for birds. During this time, 2.5 thousand emus were killed, after which the soldiers refused to kill the almost defenseless enemy. Although, even after several hits, emus could run much faster than laden machine gunners.
2. Transnistrian conflict
The collapse of the USSR provoked many conflicts on its fragments. One of the hot zones in 1992 was Transnistria. For 4 months, the two armies fired at each other during the day, and at night the soldiers gathered in no man's land and drank to friendship. All participants considered this war to be the strangest and most ridiculous, although it claimed 1300 human lives.
3. El Salvador v Honduras
In 1969, a football match took place between Honduras and El Salvador. The Salvadoran team lost, which, against the backdrop of tense relations between countries, became last straw. On June 14, the losing side launches an invasion that lasted 4 days until the intervention of the Organization of American States. During this time, 3 thousand people died, mostly civilians Honduras.
4. Long war
In 1651, the Netherlands declared war on the Isle of Scilly, off the southwest coast of Great Britain. No one remembers the cause of the war, but the actual hostilities never began. Even the very state of the war was remembered only in 1986, when it was officially completed the most long war. And by the way, without a single victim.
5. War over a pig
A British soldier on American soil shot a pig in 1859. The Americans were so imbued with what had happened that they declared war, which lasted 4 months. Military operations did not go longer than the development of plans for terrible revenge for the pig, and it all ended with an apology from the British side.
6. War in Maine
After the hostilities of 1812, Maine remained in the hands of british army, although there were practically no soldiers there. But in 1838, American lumberjacks cut down the forest on British territory. This time, the British were offended and began to pull troops into the conflict area. The states also began to build up a military presence, which was strengthened by the supply service, sending a sea of pork and the most best beans. As a result, British orders were subjected to regular "gas attacks" and "shelling". There were no other military actions, but in 11 months, 550 people on both sides died from accidents and diseases.
7. Bulgaria vs. Greece
After the First World War, relations between Greece and Bulgaria could not be called warm. They were especially tense on the border in the Petrich area. It was here that disaster struck on October 22, 1925. In the race for a stray dog, a Greek soldier ran into Bulgarian territory, where he was shot dead by local troops. The Greeks declared war and invaded Petrich the next day, killing over 50 Bulgarian border guards. Under pressure from the League of Nations, Greece ended the war after 10 days, withdrew its troops and paid 45,000 pounds to Bulgaria as compensation.
8 Paraguay Vs Everyone
Francisco Solano Lopez, President of Paraguay, put his talents on par with Napoleon. He also considered himself an excellent military leader, to demonstrate which he declared war simultaneously on Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay in 1864. For 6 years most senseless war killed more than 400 thousand people, Paraguay has lost almost 90% of the male population.
9. Battle for the bucket
In 1325, soldiers of Modena stole a wooden bucket from one of the wells in Bologna during a raid. Thus began the twelve-year war between the city-states. By the way, the trophy bucket is still kept in the Modena Museum.
10. Lijar and France
During a visit to France in 1883, Alphonse XII, the Spanish king, was insulted with the connivance of the French government. This so stung the inhabitants of Lijar, a village in southern Spain, that all 300 of its inhabitants, led by mayor Don Miguel Garcia Saez, declared war on France.
After 93 years in 1981, the city council finally ended the war by agreeing to a peace treaty with France for their warm welcome to King Juan Carlos of Spain.
Mankind has always loved to fight. There's no getting around it, that's nature. The reasons for this can be the most ridiculous, not to mention the reasons. From the banal desire to become famous to petty despicable grievances over trifles. It seems that people just like to kill and this compilation of the 10 most strange wars in human history bright to that the confirmation.
1. Australian army against emus
In 1932, the emu population in Australia got out of control. According to experts, over 20,000 voracious birds ran through the desert and, in principle, did not interfere with anyone except the valiant Australian army. The country's military headquarters decided to teach the ostriches a lesson and declared war "for fun" on them, the results of which were not at all funny for the poor birds. For a week, groups of soldiers armed with machine guns ambushed an unsuspecting enemy in the desert. It was a bloody November. In seven days, 2,500 emus were killed, and then the Australian army capitulated. The soldiers refused to participate in the brutal massacre. As it turned out later, there were other reasons. Killing an emu was actually not so easy. Hit by even a few machine-gun bullets, the strong birds continued to run ahead of the heavily loaded Australian soldiers.
2. War in Transnistria
In 1992 in Transnistria on the wreckage Soviet Union war broke out. For about four months they were fighting for something that no longer mattered. But it was really strange to see late evenings on no man's land drinking fighters on both warring sides. The soldiers even made agreements not to shoot at each other the next day if they recognize the one with whom they drank. This happened not one or two nights, but regularly. One soldier wrote in his diary: "War is like a grotesque show. During the day we kill our enemies, and then during the night we drink with them. What a strange thing these wars are ...". The war in Transnistria claimed 1,300 human lives on both sides.
3. football war
Some wars start with a surprise attack, others with a massacre, and this one started with a football match between El Salvador and Honduras in 1969. El Salvador lost the match, tensions between the states increased and on June 14 the army of the losing team went on the offensive against Honduras. For four days, the Salvadoran military took revenge on the inhabitants of Honduras for the defeat of their football team. After the Organization of American States intervened, the lawlessness was stopped. The loss of life in this war amounted to 3,000 people.
By the irony of history, the longest war that our civilization has had has done without a single casualty. It's about about the war between the Netherlands and the Isle of Scilly, located off the southwest coast of Great Britain. No one remembers who was the first and why he declared this war in 1651, but the fact remains that not a single person died during the entire period of "hostilities". In 1986, the war was remembered and a peace treaty was concluded. If only all wars were like this...
5. Pig of discord
In 1859, a British infantryman shot and killed a pig roaming the American soil. Outraged Americans declared war. For four months, a plan was developed to retaliate against the British troops, tactics and strategies were built for military operations, but in the end the British apologized, saying that it was an accident. This ended the war. Losses in the war: 1 pig.
6. War of pork and beans
Another funny confrontation between the United States and Great Britain on the Maine border. After the war of 1812, British troops occupied most eastern state Maine and, despite the absence of troops in the area, still considered it British territory. In the winter of 1838, American lumberjacks sawed wood in a disputed area and, as a result, provoked the ire of Great Britain, which moved troops to the area. The states, in response, also pulled up troops and it seemed that war would be inevitable. For eleven months, active hostilities were expected, which never began. Due to an error in the supply department, American troops got great amount beans and pork, which they gorged themselves on and then arranged " gas attacks", frightening the British with loud sounds. And although no military action was taken, more than 550 on both sides died from illness and accidents in 11 months of inactivity.
7. War over a stray dog
In 1925 Greece and Bulgaria were sworn enemies. They fought each other during World War I, and those wounds have yet to heal. Tensions were especially acute on the border in an area called Petrich. There, the unsteady peace was broken on October 22, 1925, when a Greek soldier was chasing a dog that was running away to the Bulgarian border and was killed by a Bulgarian sentry. Greece promised revenge and invaded Petrich the very next day. They quickly cleared the frontier post of the region, killing over fifty Bulgarian soldiers, but they could not advance further inland. The League of Nations called for an end to the invasion and for leaving Petrich. Ten days later, Greece withdrew its troops, paying Bulgaria £45,000 in damages.
The President of Paraguay, Francisco Solano López, was a great admirer of Napoleon Bonaparte. He imagined himself to be a professional strategist and an excellent commander, but one thing was missing - war. To solve this small problem, in 1864 he declared war on three countries surrounding Paraguay at once - Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay. Outcome of the war? Paraguay was almost completely destroyed and devastated. It is estimated that about 90% of the male population of the country died during the war, disease and famine. The senseless slaughter in the name of the glory of the commander lasted from 1864 to 1870. Losses in this war amounted to over 400,000 people, which is a colossal figure for Latin America that time.
9. Bucket of Discord
This war began in 1325, when the rivalry between the independent city-states of Modena and Bologna came to a head over a simple wooden bucket. Trouble began when a detachment of Modena soldiers raided Bologna and stole a wooden bucket from one of the wells. Wanting to get the stolen thing back, Bologna declared war and for 12 years unsuccessfully tried to return the lost wooden bucket. To this day, this trophy is kept in Modena.
10. Lijar v. France
In 1883, the inhabitants of the small village of Lijar in southern Spain were furious when they learned that their beloved Spanish King Alphonse XII had been insulted by the French during a visit to Paris. In response to this, the mayor of Lijar, Don Miguel Garcia Saez, and with him all 300 inhabitants of the village, on October 14, 1883, declared war on France. The bloodless war ended 93 years later, when the Spanish king Juan Carlos made a trip to Paris, during which the French treated him with great respect. In 1981, the city council of Lijar decided that "due to excellent relations with the French", they cease hostilities and agree to a peace treaty with France.
The Olympic Games are the largest competitions on the planet, they solve the issue of victories, which are important not only for the athlete himself, but also for his country. Plus, there's a lot of money involved here. It is not surprising that huge responsibility and tension create numerous misunderstandings, and sometimes ridiculous and ridiculous situations.
At the first Games of our time - Athens-1896 - there were no Russian participants, although preparations were underway in many cities, primarily in Odessa, St. Petersburg and Kyiv. A small group of Odessans left for Greece, but the money was only enough to reach Constantinople. I had to return. But one representative of Russia, a resident of Kiev, Nikolai Ritter, nevertheless made it to Athens and applied for participation in wrestling and shooting competitions, but then, for some unknown reason, took it back.
In St. Louis 1904, the Japanese Sawao Funi, who was the first pole vaulter in his life, decided that his task was to get over the bar in any way. He got a strong pole, stuck it in the sand in front of the plank, quickly climbed up it and jumped over to the other side. When the judges explained that it was necessary to make a run, the Japanese ran along the track and repeated his move. Funi was removed from the competition, but the offended athlete said that they were picking on him because of his Asian origin, and indignant articles about dishonest refereeing appeared in the Japanese press.
In London 1908, in the final 400m race, three Americans joined forces and openly interfered with the Scotsman Holswell, who competed for Great Britain and set an Olympic record in the preliminary race. The judges annulled the results of the race and offered to repeat it in two days. The Americans refused, and Holswell proudly fled alone. Naturally, he became a champion. Since then, 400m races have been held on different racetracks.
In Amsterdam 1928, during the 3000m hurdle race, the referee who was counting the laps briefly left his post and lost count. Athletes ran 450 m more than necessary. But the results were not cancelled. The winner was Finn Volmari Iso-Hollo, who ran 3450 m in 10 minutes 33.4 seconds.
In Berlin 1936, one of the equestrian triathlon athletes caught his runaway horse for three hours and received 18,000 penalty points for this - an Olympic record!
In Sydney 2000 Eric Musambani ( Equatorial Guinea) swam the 100m freestyle in the slowest time in Olympic history. Interestingly, he won his heat, as the other two participants were disqualified for false starts. Nicknamed "The Eel" for his unique swimming style, Eric had never seen a 50m pool before and learned to swim nine months before the Games. Alas, his time did not fit into the qualification, and he dropped out of the competition.
In Salt Lake City 2002, Australian Stephen Bradbury won the 1000m short track, as he himself noted, "with God's help." It was the first Golden medal Australia at the Winter Games. In the final race, Stephen was last - fifth, but before the finish line, all four of his opponents fell. The Chinese Li Yangyun, through whose fault this happened, was disqualified for this, but the results were not canceled. The favorite in this form, the American Apolo Ono, quickly got on the ice, but took only second place. It's funny that Bradbury also got into the final by a miracle - he was able to convince the judges that he was prevented in the semi-finals.
In Athens 2004, during a diving competition, a Canadian fan, for some reason dressed in a white tutu, incredibly made his way through security, climbed onto a three-meter springboard and flopped into the pool from it. The violator was caught and taken to the police, but the incident prevented several athletes, including Dmitry Sautin, from performing normally.
Lihar v France. In 1883, the small Spanish village of Lihar considered it outrageous to insult the Spanish king during his stay in France. The mayor of Lihar, with the support of three hundred inhabitants, declared war on France on behalf of his village. For almost centennial history"conflict" was not fired a single shot.
The War of the Oak Bucket took place in medieval Italy in 1325. The two cities, Bologna and Modena, have been at war for a long time, but the theft of a brand new oak bucket from the city well, committed by a deserter from Bologna to Modena, was the last straw. The war was marked by the only battle in which the Bolognese lost and were left without a bucket.
The Paraguayan War from 1864 to 1870 went down in history as one of the most bloody wars because of the ruler's ambitions. The President of the Republic, Francisco Solano López, was a great admirer of Napoleon without being highly skilled in warfare. Paraguay declared war on Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay - and suffered a terrible defeat, losing 300 thousand people, about 90% of the male population.
The "War of the Stray Dog" was nicknamed the conflict of 1925 between Greece and Bulgaria, who had previously fought against each other during the First World War. According to rumors, a Greek soldier chased a stray dog he had fed and was shot dead by Bulgarian border guards. In response, Greece sent troops to Bulgaria, and she filed a complaint against her with the League of Nations.
The Aroostook War took place between the United States and Britain in 1838-1839, during a dispute between the two countries over the border between the United States and Canada. Direct armed conflict was avoided through diplomacy, but several soldiers died from illness and accidents.
"War over the pig" - another confrontation between the US and british empire, which happened in 1859 on the disputed San Juan Islands. A British farmer shot a pig that belonged to an Irishman living on American soil. The heated dispute almost spilled over into a military conflict, but everything was resolved amicably.
The 335-year war is officially recognized as one of the longest and least bloody wars in the history of mankind. It "passed" between the Netherlands and the Scilly archipelago as part of Great Britain, began in 1651 and ended in 1986. Just at some point, the fact of declaring war was completely forgotten, coming to their senses after three centuries.
A "football war" broke out for four days in 1969 between El Salvador and Honduras, after the defeat of the Honduras team during matches qualifying stage football world championship. Losses on both sides amounted to about five thousand people, the peace treaty was signed only ten years later.
The "War of Jenkins' Ear" took place between England and Spain from 1739 to 1742. Formally started because of a severed ear English captain Robert Jenkins as a symbol of Spanish soldiers' aggression against English sailors. The ear was carefully sealed with alcohol and presented in Parliament.
The emu war that happened in Australia in 1932 claims to be the most stupid military operation from all existing ones. Emu ate the crops of Australian farmers, and they called for help from soldiers with machine guns. Managed to shoot a few hundred birds ... out of twenty thousand. The problem remained unresolved, and the farmers had to put up with it.
Wars over stray dogs, pigs and emus, oak buckets and football matches. Wars without a single drop of blood and with thousands of losses. What to do, wars are in the blood of mankind ...
People have always been willing to fight - this is noticeable, even if you take a very cursory look at our history. Wars were fought on different reasons, sometimes quite logical - money, power, religion, territory. But there were far more ridiculous pretexts for armed conflicts. Wars over stray dogs, pigs and emus, oak buckets and football matches. Wars without a single drop of blood and with thousands of losses. What to do, wars are in the blood of mankind ...
1. Lihar v. France. In 1883, the small Spanish village of Lihar considered it outrageous to insult the Spanish king during his stay in France. The mayor of Lihar, with the support of three hundred inhabitants, declared war on France on behalf of his village. For almost a century of history of the "conflict" not a single shot was fired.
2. The "War of the Oak Bucket" took place in medieval Italy, in 1325. The two cities, Bologna and Modena, have been at war for a long time, but the theft of a brand new oak bucket from the city well, committed by a deserter from Bologna to Modena, was the last straw. The war was marked by the only battle in which the Bolognese lost and were left without a bucket.
3. The Paraguayan War from 1864 to 1870 went down in history as one of the bloodiest wars due to the ambitions of the ruler. The President of the Republic, Francisco Solano López, was a great admirer of Napoleon without being highly skilled in warfare. Paraguay declared war on Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay - and suffered a terrible defeat, losing 300 thousand people, about 90% of the male population.
4. The "War of the Stray Dog" was nicknamed the conflict of 1925 between Greece and Bulgaria, who had previously fought against each other during the First World War. According to rumors, a Greek soldier chased a stray dog he had fed and was shot dead by Bulgarian border guards. In response, Greece sent troops to Bulgaria, and she filed a complaint against her with the League of Nations.
5. The Aroostook War took place between the US and Britain in 1838-1839, during a dispute between the two countries over the border between the US and Canada. Direct armed conflict was avoided through diplomacy, but several soldiers died from illness and accidents.
6. "War over the pig" - another confrontation between the US and the British Empire, which happened in 1859 in the disputed San Juan Islands. A British farmer shot a pig that belonged to an Irishman living on American soil. The heated dispute almost spilled over into a military conflict, but everything was resolved amicably.
7. The Three Hundred and Thirty-Five Years' War is officially recognized as one of the longest and least bloody wars in the history of mankind. It "passed" between the Netherlands and the Scilly archipelago as part of Great Britain, began in 1651 and ended in 1986. Just at some point, the fact of declaring war was completely forgotten, coming to their senses after three centuries.
8. A "football war" broke out for four days in 1969 between El Salvador and Honduras, after the defeat of the Honduras team during the qualifying matches of the World Cup. Losses on both sides amounted to about five thousand people, the peace treaty was signed only ten years later.
9. The "War of Jenkins' Ear" took place between England and Spain from 1739 to 1742. Formally, it began because of the cut off ear of the English captain Robert Jenkins as a symbol of the aggression of the Spanish soldiers against the English sailors. The ear was carefully sealed with alcohol and presented in Parliament.
10. The emu war that happened in Australia in 1932 claims to be the most stupid military operation of all. Emu ate the crops of Australian farmers, and they called for help from soldiers with machine guns. Managed to shoot a few hundred birds ... out of twenty thousand. The problem remained unresolved, and the farmers had to put up with it.
