The shortest war in history lasted 38 to 45 minutes and was fought between Britain and Zanzibar in 1896

historyWikipedia1896 · Zanzibar

The shortest war in history lasted 38 to 45 minutes and was fought between Britain and Zanzibar in 1896

the gist

On 27 August 1896 the United Kingdom and the Sultanate of Zanzibar fought a war that lasted between 38 and 45 minutes, the shortest recorded war in history. It began after the pro-British Sultan Hamad bin Thuwaini died suddenly on 25 August and his successor, Khalid bin Barghash, took the throne without the British consul's approval, which an 1890 agreement required. Britain sent an ultimatum demanding he withdraw his forces and leave the palace. When it expired at 9am, British warships and marines bombarded the palace, sinking the sultan's royal yacht and a few smaller vessels. Zanzibari defenders suffered around 500 casualties, while only one British sailor was injured. The palace caught fire, the flag was shot down, and firing stopped at 9.46am. Khalid took refuge in the German consulate and then escaped to German East Africa. Britain installed Hamoud bin Mohammed as a puppet ruler, ending Zanzibar's sovereignty.

so what

The war shows how quickly imperial power could impose its will in the late 19th century, and it marked the end of Zanzibar as an independent state, the start of decades of British control.

fun fact

Zanzibar's sultanate was a major centre of the Indian Ocean clove trade, and cloves remain closely associated with the island.

Hampi was once one of the world's largest cities, until its Vijayanagara capital was destroyed in 1565

the gist

Hampi is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Karnataka, India, with more than 1,600 surviving remains spread over 4,100 hectares. It was the capital of the Vijayanagara Empire from 1336 to 1565. Travellers from Persia and Portugal described it as a prosperous, wealthy and grand city with temples, markets and farms along the Tungabhadra River. By 1500 it was estimated to be the world's second-largest city after Beijing, and probably India's richest at the time. In 1565 a coalition of Muslim sultanates defeated the Vijayanagara Empire, its capital was conquered and destroyed, and the city was left in ruins. Hampi remains a religious centre, with the active Virupaksha Temple at its heart.

how it works

The city was built around a fortified core with temples, markets and water structures along the river, supplied by an extensive network of roads and waterworks. When the empire fell, the city was not rebuilt, so its stone monuments were left standing.

so what

Hampi shows how quickly a great city can vanish after a military defeat, and how a ruined capital can remain sacred. Its ruins give historians a view of medieval South Asia that few other sites can match.

fun fact

The name Hampi comes from Pampa, an old name for the Tungabhadra River.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia · text CC BY-SA 4.0

Image: Wikimedia Commons

source: Wikipedia ↗

2 min

politicsshortCNA2:01

False allegations about Singapore’s hand in Indonesia’s markets and a made-up meeting

from CNA

CNA Verify has found close to 400 posts pushing falsehoods tying Singapore to Indonesia’s stock market rout and to a secret meeting that never took place. Together, they drew nearly 12 million views, and some were circulated by accounts that appeared to be working in concert, across multiple social media platforms.

Here’s how the disinformation campaign targeting Singapore was uncovered.

on YouTube: CNA ↗