It may sound like a far-fetched fable, but in 1859, the United States and Britain nearly went to war over a pig.

It happened on San Juan Island, a disputed territory between British Canada and the U.S. At the time, both American settlers and British subjects were living there peacefully… until one American farmer found a British pig eating his potatoes.

He shot it.
The pig's British owner demanded compensation.
The American refused.
Tempers flared. Troops were called.
Soon, over 400 U.S. soldiers and five British warships were facing off.

Thankfully, cooler heads prevailed. No shots were fired (besides the one that killed the pig), and the standoff was peacefully resolved after 12 years of joint occupation.

Today, it’s remembered as the Pig War — one of history’s most absurd conflicts, where the only casualty… was the pig.