How long was the shortest war ever?
The shortest war in history lasted only 38 minutes.
In 1896, the British Navy and the island of Zanzibar fought a war that was over before a lunch break. The British had way more firepower, and the Sultan of Zanzibar surrendered almost immediately after the shooting started.
Nerd's Section
The conflict started on August 25, 1896, when the Sultan of Zanzibar died and his nephew, Khalid bin Barghash, took over without permission. The British government had a treaty saying they got to pick the next leader, so they told Khalid to leave by 9:00 AM on August 27.When Khalid refused to quit, five British warships sitting in the harbor opened fire at exactly 9:02 AM. These ships included the HMS Thrush and the HMS Sparrow. They used heavy cannons to blast the wooden palace, while the Sultan's forces only had a few old guns and one wooden boat called the HHS Glasgow.The British ships were so powerful that they sank the Sultan's boat and set the palace on fire in just a few minutes. By 9:40 AM, the Sultan's flag was knocked down and the fighting stopped. While the war was incredibly short, it was still serious, as about 500 people from Zanzibar were killed or hurt. On the British side, only one sailor was injured, and he eventually recovered.
Verified Fact
FP-0000292 · Feb 25, 2026