19. The shortest war on record was the Anglo-Zanzibar war of 1896
In 1896, Hamad bin Thuwaini the pro-British sultan of the protectorate of Zanzibar died in suspicious circumstances. People believed that the sultan’s cousin, Khalid bin Barghash had poisoned him; a fact made more likely when bin Barghash immediately declared himself ruler without British approval and fortified the palace. The British demanded bin Barghash stand down. When he refused, they began to assemble boats and troops in the nearby harbor. Finally, at 9 am on August 26 they declared war and opened fire on the palace. Within two minutes, the British destroyed bin Barghash’s artillery and the wooden palace began to collapse on the troops inside, while, the short-lived sultan escaped through the back door. By 9.40, the ‘war’ was over after just 38 minutes.