10 Wars That Were Started For Stupid Reasons
8. A Pig (Great Britain Vs. USA, 1859)
If nobody dies, is it still a war? This philosophical issue was raised in the aftermath of a conflict between Britain and the USA in 1859 when the two nations occupied bits of the North American continent.
In what is now Canada and Washington State, they glared at each other across the border and claimed they were both allowed to live on the islands off the coast owing to a vaguely worded treaty saying who got to hang out where.
In 1859, an American farmer on disputed San Juan Island was filled with patriotic rage when his neighbour's pig ate some of his potatoes. He shot the pig, which belonged to an Irish farmer, and when they were unable to decide how much the pig was worth each man demanded the support of one of the colonial powers.
The British governor of nearby Vancouver Island demanded Rear Admiral Robert L. Baynes land marines on the island and start shooting up those rude Yankees, but Baynes refused on the grounds the whole thing was stupid. After a few days of soldiers milling around looking bemused, everyone pretty much gave up on the ridiculous farce of the Pig War without a single shot being fired.