The Shortest War In History: A Battle That Lasted Just 38 Minutes

Shortest War In History:  On August 27, 1896, the battle between the British Empire and the Sultanate of Zanzibar took place, and it was the shortest war in the history of mankind. The Anglo-Zanzibar War, as it is known, was a very short but intense conflict, which lasted only for 38 to 40 minutes and became a one-of-a-kind event in the history of the military. It was a succession dispute that arose due to the death of Sultan Hamad bin Thuwaini, who was regarded as friendly to British interests was the cause of the war.

His cousin, Sultan Khalid bin Barghash, took over power without the consent of the British. The British government was eager not to lose its hold on the strategic island of Zanzibar, and it gave an ultimatum that Khalid should step down and vacate the palace before 9:00 am that day, according to the Britannica.

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On the failure of compliance with the deadline, British warships posted in the harbour opened fire on the palace. The intense firing soon reduced a large part of the Sultan and also the palace. Khalid had approximately 2,800 men in his army, whose weapons were mostly old, whereas the British possessed the state-of-the-art warships and artillery.