The shortest war in history lasted only 38 minutes - Apparently.
In August 1896, British and Zanzibar forces clashed in what is now Tanzania. Zanzibar surrendered after just 38 minutes of fighting, making it the shortest war in recorded history. The war was sparked by a dispute over who should be the ruler of Zanzibar, a small archipelago off the coast of East Africa. The British were keen to assert their influence in the region, and the war was essentially a one-sided affair, with the British Navy dominating the tiny Zanzibari forces.