© Getty Images

McGowan's War -

McGowan's War took place in Yale, British Columbia, in 1858. It got its name from American lawyer and gold prospector Edward McGowan.

© Public Domain

McGowan's War -

McGowan challenged the local authorities and wanted the colony to be removed from the control of the British Crown. The conflict was based on a dispute over gold deposits in the Fraser Canyon area.

© Getty Images

McGowan's War -

McGowan's feud with the local Vigilance Committee, coupled with clashes between foreigners and indigenous people, fueled the “war.” Until, of course, British troops were sent in to restore order.

© Getty Images

Kettle War -

The Kettle War took place on the Scheldt river on October 8, 1784, between the Holy Roman Empire and the Republic of the Seven Netherlands. Joseph II, Holy Roman Emperor threatened the Dutch over territorial disputes and sent a ship down the river.

© Public Domain

Kettle War -

It was intercepted by a Dutch ship, which fired one single shot, hitting a soup kettle. The ship sent by Joseph II surrendered.

© Public Domain

Aroostook War -

The Aroostook War, also known as the Madawaska War or the Pork and Beans War, took place on the Maine (American) – New Brunswick (British) border from 1838 to 1839.

© Getty Images

Aroostook War -

The conflict, which involved both military and civilians, was over the boundary between the British colony and the US state. US Secretary of State Daniel Webster and British diplomat Baron Ashburton managed to resolve the matter, with Maine gaining a great part of the disputed territory.

© Public Domain

Dodge City War -

The Dodge City War is the name of the conflict between gunfighter Luke Short and Dodge City mayor Lawrence E. Deger. The reason? The mayor tried to force Luke Short to close the Long Branch Saloon.

© Public Domain

Dodge City War -

Short and his friends (a bunch of gamblers and fellow gunslingers) were involved in the dispute, which lasted from April 28 to June 7, 1883. The mayor eventually backed down.

© Public Domain

Dodge City War -

The photo of the "Dodge City Peace Commission" taken on June 10, 1883 became a classic Wild West picture. The men in the photo are: (standing from left) William H. Harris, Luke Short, William "Bat" Masterson, and William F. Petillon; (seated from left) Charlie Bassett, Wyatt Earp, Michael Francis "Frank" McLean, and Cornelius "Neil" Brown.

© Public Domain

Red River Bridge War -

The Red River Bridge War was yet another bloodless territorial dispute. This conflict was concerning a toll bridge over the Red River, on the border between the states of Texas and Oklahoma, in 1931.

© Getty Images

Red River Bridge War -

A new free bridge was built by both states, though the owners of the old toll bridge (the Red River Bridge Company) obtained an injunction stopping the new bridge from opening. Oklahoma Governor William Murray eventually ordered that the bridge be opened. No blood was shed.

© Shutterstock

Lobster War -

The conflict known as the Lobster War took place in the waters of Pernambuco, Brazil. The conflict was between Brazil and France, and it occurred between 1961 and 1963. The war was about where the French vessels could catch lobster.

© Public Domain

Lobster War -

The Brazilian government argued that lobsters crawled and the French argued that lobsters swam, leading to a dispute over how close to the Brazilian coast the French could catch lobster. Navy fleets from both countries were deployed at one point, but Brazil eventually extended its territorial waters and resolved the conflict.

© Public Domain

Honey War -

Yes, yet another territorial conflict. This time on the border between Missouri and the Iowa Territory (1838-1846), which occurred in 1839. The wording in the Missouri Constitution on boundaries was unclear and led to a dispute over the boundary between the two territories.

© Shutterstock

Honey War -

Among other things, the conflict led to a few trees containing beehives being cut, hence the name. Congress resolved the conflict and a border line (the Sullivan Line) was drawn.

© Shutterstock

Anglo-Swedish War -

Sweden declared war on Great Britain in November 1810. The conflict lasted until 1812. Following the Treaty of Paris in 1810, Sweden joined the Continental System, which had a trade embargo against Great Britain. Except, the two countries continued to do business. Until France issued an ultimatum forcing Sweden to declare war on Britain.

© Getty Images

Anglo-Swedish War -

There was no bloodshed and the two countries continued to trade via the island of Hanö. The Treaty of Örebro was signed on July 18, 1812, and dictated the end of the war.

© Shutterstock

Three Hundred and Thirty Five Years' War -

This conflict existed between the Netherlands and England's Isles of Scilly (pictured), an archipelago off the southwestern tip of Cornwall, for 335 years (from 1651 to 1986)—without any casualties.

© Getty Images

Three Hundred and Thirty Five Years' War -

The origins of the conflict can be found in the English Civil War, when the Dutch, seeking to maintain their alliance with England, sided with the Royalists, who were eventually defeated by Oliver Cromwell's Parliamentarians.

© Getty Images

Huéscar-Danish War -

This bloodless conflict started during the Peninsular War (1807–1814), where Spain, Portugal, and Britain fought against Napoleon’s First French Empire.

© Getty Images

Huéscar-Danish War -

Though unlike the Peninsular War, the Huéscar-Danish War lasted from 1809 to 1981. Huéscar, a small town in Spain, declared war on Denmark after the country’s decision to support Napoleon.

© Getty Images

Huéscar-Danish War -

The war was forgotten about, until it officially ended with a handshake between the mayor of Huéscar and the Dutch ambassador on November 11, 1981.

© Getty Images

Pig War -

The Pig War was a dispute over the US and British border in the San Juan Islands, between Vancouver Island (modern-day Canada) and the State of Washington, in 1859.

© Public Domain

Pig War -

The war got its name after an American farmer shot a pig that belonged to an Irishman. Things escalated to the point where the militaries from both territories got involved. The conflict was eventually resolved, with both sides agreeing to have joint military occupation of the island.

© Shutterstock

Turbot War -

The Turbot War was a conflict between Canada and the European Union (triggered by Spain) over fishing on the Grand Banks of Newfoundland between 1994 and 1996.

© Shutterstock

Turbot War -

Essentially, Canada accused the European Union factory ships of illegally overfishing Greenland halibut (aka Greenland turbot). Tensions grew when a Canadian Fisheries Patrol vessel boarded a Spanish fishing trawler in international waters, seized it, and arrested the crew.

© Getty Images

Turbot War -

The dispute ended with an agreement between Canada and the EU on April 16, 1995. The EU increased the share of how much turbot could be caught, and more robust mechanisms for enforcing international fishing rules were implemented.

© Getty Images

Whisky War -

The Whisky War was a conflict between Canada and Denmark over a territorial dispute of Hans Island. The “war” started in 1973 and didn’t end until 2022.

© Getty Images

Whisky War -

The “pseudo confrontation” got its name after a bottle of Danish brandy was left on the island by a minister. How did the Canadians respond? They left a bottle of Canadian whisky there, of course!

© Getty Images

Whisky War -

The island is now divided between Nunavut (Canadian territory) and Greenland (Danish constituent country).

© Shutterstock

Sumdorong Chu standoff -

This “war” took place in the Sumdorong Chu valley. The dispute was between India and China, and occurred over territorial borders between 1986 and 1987.

© Shutterstock

Sumdorong Chu standoff -

It started when India built an observation post on the bank of Sumdorong Chu river. The Chinese then started to build structures in the region. Soon enough, troops from both countries were deployed to the area, but things de-escalated following talks between India’s Minister of External Affairs and Beijing in 1987.

Sources: (Listverse) (The Archive) (The Guardian)

See also: The longest and shortest wars in history

© Getty Images