Wars & Conflicts
Explore 7 events, 1 stories, and 4 facts about wars & conflicts.
Stories
Quick Facts
“The shortest war in history lasted 38 to 45 minutes.”
The Anglo-Zanzibar War of 1896 began at 9:02 AM and ended by 9:45 AM.
“In 1932, Australia declared war on emus. The emus won.”
The Australian military deployed soldiers with Lewis guns against crop-destroying emus. The birds proved too elusive.
“During WWII, the US military tried to train bats to drop bombs.”
Project X-Ray planned to release bat-carried incendiary bombs over Japan. The project was canceled when the atomic bomb was developed.
“The Mongol Empire killed so many people it cooled the planet.”
An estimated 40 million deaths led to the regrowth of forests that absorbed about 700 million tons of carbon.
Historical Events
D-Day: Allied Forces Storm Normandy
Over 156,000 troops landed on five beaches in the largest amphibious invasion in history. It marked the beginning of the end for Nazi Germany.
Pearl Harbor Attack
Japan launched a surprise attack on the US naval base in Hawaii, killing over 2,400 Americans. The US declared war the next day.
Archduke Franz Ferdinand Assassinated
A 19-year-old Serbian nationalist shot the Austrian heir, triggering a chain of events that led to World War I and 20 million deaths.
Atomic Bomb Dropped on Hiroshima
The US dropped "Little Boy" on Hiroshima, killing 80,000 people instantly. It remains the only nuclear weapon used in warfare.
Auschwitz Liberated
Soviet soldiers discovered the Nazi death camp, where over 1.1 million people had been murdered. The world learned the full horror of the Holocaust.
World War I Ends
The armistice was signed at 11 AM on the 11th day of the 11th month. The "war to end all wars" left 17 million dead.
Constantinople Falls
Ottoman forces conquered the Byzantine capital after a 53-day siege. The 1,500-year Roman Empire finally ended.