9. The Anglo-Zanzibar War in 1896 lasted less than an hour
Depending upon the source’s method of calculating the time it ended, the Anglo-Zanzibar war was over in 38 – 45 minutes. The British suffered one casualty, a sailor injured on one of their warships. Over 500 Zanzibari were killed or wounded, including several civilians. The war was fought because the Zanzibari leader, Sultan Khalid, acceded to the throne made vacant by the death of the pro-British Sultan Hamad. Because Khalid did not have the prior concurrence of the British, in accordance with an existing treaty, they demanded that he step down. He refused and ordered his palace reinforced and civilians to rally to his defense. Most of the Zanzibari were pro-British.
The British ships assigned to the task of removing the impertinent Khalid bombarded his palace, sank his yacht, destroyed some other ships, and the aforementioned time achieved the surrender of his remaining forces. Khalid sought refuge in the German consulate and eventually in German East Africa. The British installed a more palatable Sultan, supported by a puppet government under what was essentially British rule. It was the shortest war in recorded history. Following its completion, the British demanded reparations for the cost of the shot and shell expended against Khalid’s forces.