One Soldier’s Bathroom Break Started a War
On July 7, 1937, Japan and China were on the brink of war. The Japanese Imperial Army surrounded the Chinese city of Wanping. A private named Shimura Kikujiro had to use the bathroom, so he broke ranks in order to duck into the woods to relieve himself. Unfortunately for him, his unit had left by the time he finished. He became lost in the dark, and couldn’t find his way back. Meanwhile, the Japanese officers realized that they had a missing soldier, and started to panic. They sent troops back to Wanping, and demanded to be let inside to find their missing soldier. When the Chinese refused to let them enter, the Japanese tried to breach the city walls. This was later called “The Marco Polo Bridge Incident”, and it started the Second Sino-Japanese War.