A war measured in minutesSourced
The fighting lasted less than an hour
Britain and Zanzibar fought on 27 August 1896 amid a dispute over the sultan’s succession. British forces bombarded the palace. Accounts put the fighting at roughly 38 to 45 minutes, with many casualties.
A short duration did not mean a small human cost.
Summary / translation: Unbubly · CC BY-SA 4.0
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Anglo-Zanzibar War · Wikimedia contributors
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Reviewed: 2026-10-09