Weird Wars

A theological dispute between two towns in northern Italy escalated into this war when a wooden vessel was stolen from one by soldiers from the other.

Bologna, Modena

1325

Territorial disputes and a man's severed appendage caused this war which later was absorbed into the larger War of the Austrian Succession.

Great Britain, Spain

1739-1741

Struggles of the Union: This Midwestern territorial dispute actually escalated to the point where both states began to raise militias to defend against possible invasion before president Andrew Jackson stepped in.

Michigan, Ohio

1837

This war was caused when a French chef's cafe in Mexico City was ransacked. When the Mexican officials ignored his complaints, he went to the French king, who, after a decade, made war on Mexico.

Mexico, France

1838-1839

British soldiers in a New Zealand town hoisted a Union Jack over it, and a local native chief chopped the flag down, leading to this war.

Great Britain, Native New Zealanders

1845-1846

This conflict was caused when a dispute over slaughtered livestock led to a weeks-long standoff.

US, Great Britain

1859

After the Ashanti rebelled against the British Empire, the British claimed a piece of furniture spiritually valuable to the Ashantis, leading to this conflict.

Great Britain, Ashanti Empire

1900

This war began when long-standing tensions between the two countries boiled over when a Greek soldier who crossed the border chasing his canine was shot.

Greece, Bulgaria

1925

Probably the weirdest war declaration in history, the Australian government declared this war on birds that were destroying agriculture.

Australia, Australian Birds

1932

Already-high tensions in Central America mounted when, after the events following a major world sports tournament, El Salvador claimed Honduras had committed genocide against Salvadorans.

El Salvador, Honduras

1970