5 Wars Started for the Strangest of Reasons

Join us on a captivating journey through history as we explore five wars that started for the strangest of reasons. From a stolen bucket to a pastry shop, these flashpoints reveal the quirkiest causes of conflict. Watch now!
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[@alanhindmarch4483]

Stole a bucket, “It didn’t go down well.” 😂

[@DustinLeonard-vg4om]

This lmao!

[@aceundead4750]

I hope Simon had to record that section several times because he read it and started laughing

[@archstanton6102]

I missed that line. Well done, have a like!

[@Whightwabbit]

Thats the one

[@blisterbeetle01]

You should be ashamed! Lol😂😂😂

[@JamesFromTexas]

That bucket really tied the village together. It's about the principle, man.

[@stevespell2766]

Did Woo piss in the buxket?

[@d.ryonwilhelm9001]

Texans love their principles... 'Come and take it' comes from stealing a tiny brass cannon and the subsequent use of that phrase to taunt the Mexican Army when they asked for it back. While not the start of a war definitely a peculiar (tiny) reason to escalate a fight between the US/Texans and Mexico... Sadly the phrase has a whole new meaning for the far right.

[@JamesFromTexas]

@@d.ryonwilhelm9001 what? That's a quote (kinda) from The Big Lebowski. You need to relax, dude.

[@Ragnar0xx0rz]

@@JamesFromTexas That cannon really tied the state together, man.

[@JamesFromTexas]

@@Ragnar0xx0rz yes, yes it did! That was good!

[@WAHegle91]

The Australian War of Emu Independence is one of my favorite wars since one side actually had a full-blown war and the other side was just like “Hey Doug, wanna eat that dude’s garden?”

[@paurushbhatnagar8100]

It was like one side waging a war & emus were having a ball.

[@gemmascupoftea]

Yes Simon's video on it was a chuckle. ❤😂

[@rebeccafree9755]

Apparently it went downhill because they were aiming for their heads instead of the body. Good thing we pulled away when we did we only have the airforce army and navy if the emus called in their magpie and ibis reinforcements they'd be running this country, we still put the emu on our emblem I believe it was one of their demands.

[@heathergarnham9555]

And the emus won.

[@zenleonor9440]

Full blown is a too much to describe. They sent 2 guys with ruffles. 😅

[@tiekarkoulias5925]

There was the Pork and Beans war between Acadia and the Maine. It was more a border skirmish than a full blown war. It started when Acadian lumberjacks wandered across a vague and disputed border looking for good lumber. They ate their dinner of pork and beans and were acosted by lumberjacks from Maine. Both groups of lumberjacks threw down with axes and saws, and it drew in militias from New Brunswick and Maine. It ended after 3 days when a black bear attacked the Acadians and they didn't want to fight anymore.

[@JustDaniel6764]

My forefathers liked to war the world for a long time, A time since forgotten.

[@stephenblunt3054]

8:00 8:12

[@jimc.goodfellas226]

I for one would not go to war over pork nor beans

[@jobymahon2871]

​@@jimc.goodfellas226you sir have disparaged Bush's Baked Beans for the last time

[@HyperactiveNeuron]

So you mean the Aroostook war? Also it's just Maine... Not THE Maine. Words mean things.

[@lorenzomcmillan9617]

“The emu still oblivious to their victory continues foraging, leaving farmers to devise a new way of safeguarding their crop”😂😂😂😂 I cried laughing on this part. I’ve heard this story many times but Simon tells it so much better😂

[@claywest9528]

Did history ever record the name of the Emu General who led the forces to glorious victory?

[@slayingroosters4355]

Paul

[@claywest9528]

@@slayingroosters4355 👍

[@colinr1960]

Ossie.

[@RustyLid]

He got a contract for a TV show in America called Sesame Street. - Now you know the rest of the story

[@enriquehartmann8642]

Euraelius Mercamer Smythe III

[@Snorlax-cuddles]

'and all because of a bucket' 'its prounced Boo-kay'

[@AncientIrishCelt]

RICHARD!

[@Cupit29]

Simon, you should actually do some homework on the "War of the Bucket" because it actually started when Modena took a Bolognese castle. The bucket was stolen AFTER the war.

[@ashb7846]

This. Oversimplified has well detailed videos of at least three of these subjects. I like hearing Simon narrate things, but it’s a little facepalming when fact boi doesn’t have the facts.

[@franciscoduarte2190]

​@@ashb7846like him talking about fighter jets in the Football War, a conflict know for being the last clash between World War Two piston fighters.

[@orikarru7877]

That bucket should have been well guarded from the start. Instead, they went pail with range and turned the crank to no avail, and ended up getting the shaft.

[@patriciaposthumus6684]

The Emu war actually happened twice, and people lost both times. 😂😂 The things human beings chose to fight over and go to war over as well as the mirad othe ways we chose to kill each other is absolutely astounding.

[@andrewmcnamara6305]

According to TV Tropes this list would be an example of "Silly Reason for War."

[@paulgoodridge2269]

Whenever I hear the war of Jenkins I immediately think. Leroy Jenkins. All things considering they were not too far off from each other.

[@ignitionfrn2223]

0:40 - Chapter 1 - The war of the bucket 3:40 - Chapter 2 - Football war 7:20 - Chapter 3 - Pastry war 11:05 - Chapter 4 - The war of jenkins' ear 13:50 - Chapter 5 - Emu war

[@gemmascupoftea]

OGBB ❤

[@Dark_Trinity.]

Actually the stolen bucket was an aftermath of the Battle of Zappolino where the Modenese army pushed the Bolognese's so far off the battlefield that some soldiers managed to get all the way through the walls of Bologna, and that's when they stole the bucket off a tower before retreating back to their line. The bucket was then displayed in Modena as mock sign of how total was their victory. FUN FACT: not long ago someone stole the bucket back to reclaim kt for Bologna but returned it in exchange of a crate of Lambrusco (local made fizzy vine)

[@clairebaldwin8733]

Based on the multiple comments mentioning other ridiculous reasons which caused wars to break out, there are many and a wide variety. However the title of this video clearly states Simon would be speaking about 5. Not 10. Not 25. Simply speaking about 5. Must have been difficult to choose which 5. But this video is about the 5. Let's hope that Simon and his team will create more videos of ridiculous reasons that caused war to break out 🤞 As always, great work and fascinating facts!

[@bigsmiler5101]

So true. I researched, or merely read a lot of disagreeing stuff about why the heck WW1 started. Most people think they know "the" answer and can say it in a sentence, but most will agree that a Serbian killed an Austrian while both were visiting Bosnia, and this caused Germany to declare war on Russia. -- Americans love to teach ourselves that we were so peace-loving that we didn't want to be involved but when the Germans sunk a British ship in Irish waters, we just had to get involved--we forget to mention that we neglected to actually declare war until two years later, and our political position had more to do with our Not-Taught-In-American-Schools war we were having inside Mexico. THAT was because the people we were financially assisting in their revolution ended up actually Winning that war, and we didn't truthfully want our benefactor to run Mexico. -- I must also point out that Most wars we've had since then have been offshoots of the insane "peace treaties" we created that typically didn't include speaking to the nations that had to obey the results of those treaties. Yes, the Treaty of Versailles with Germany (seven months after the Armistice [which ended the war]) involved the Allies essentially walking into a town square and saying, "Who wants to be the Leader of Germany? If you do, please step forward and sign these papers." (Translation: Germans didn't get to pick these people.) -- Yes, these are simplifications but these factors are genuinely a major part of the "background noise" of wars. Vietnam and Korean wars were also because we didn't want to bother hearing what the leaders of Vietnam or Korea had to say about things. -- Do humans really deserve peace?

[@kpaige2928]

The first section is false, the war did not start because of the bucket, but when the Modenese captured a castle in Bologna. The bucket was a war trophy.

[@austin8775]

It’s not a Simon whistler video if his writers didn’t get something wrong😂

[@brianbeswick]

the captured fort was the ignition for the war but the wider conflict was actually between the Pope supporting Guelphs and the Holy Romana Emperor supporting Ghibellines. It was localized extension of the investiture conflict. Simon’s writers need to do better research

[@Chiller11]

@@brianbeswickI live in Guelph.

[@IsntTheInternetGreat]

Boring, who cares.

[@CleverAtName]

There's an entire list of other ones that can be covered too, especially if you include near-miss wars. Hatfields and McCoys, Pig War, the stray dog for Greece/Bulgaria, Ohio/Michigan, and the Egg War all come to mind right away.

[@jcook693]

O my gosh It's almost like you should make a video

[@aceundead4750]

The Michigan - ohio war didn't really start for an odd reason, but it did have odd things about it like the only reported casualty being an ohio farmer's cow and the identity of the shooter being unknown with even Michigan historians thinking it was a Michigander, and the end resulted in a piece of Canada becoming part of the U.S. for a few reasons one of which being Canada just didnt want it and that became the U.P. I dont remember what Simon channel it was, but one of them actually covered it, also cant remember if it was Simon or Daven who hosted that specific video.

[@kaltaron1284]

I was surprised the Pig War didn't make the list.

[@QBCPerdition]

​@aceundead4750 the UP wasn't part of Canada, it was originally part of Wisconsin Territory, which makes sense when you look at it, but it was given to Michigan as compensation for losing part of its southern edge to Ohio

[@ferretyluv]

Hatfields and McCoy wasn’t an actual war.

[@grabnar4015]

Historians who study this phenomenon say this kind of thing is going on all the time

[@Jayjay-qe6um]

"Father used to say that, among man's strange undertakings, war stood clearly forth as the strangest." -- Raymond E. Feist

[@mobailey6666]

Simon please we need a deep dive on the Emu wars in Australia

[@jasontoddman7265]

He has done that already on his Wargraphics Channel. kzbin.info/www/bejne/parTpmiMmauXiZY

[@theoztreecrasher2647]

Yep. That'd be a feather in his cap! 😉

[@archstanton6102]

Been done on Warographics

[@johncitizen5130]

There basically isn't a deep dive in the topic. They had too many emus, so the government sent 3 men to try cull them. They killed almost a thousand and then they went home I don't know why it's so hyped on the internet.

[@mobailey6666]

@@archstanton6102 I should’ve known

[@joelb8653]

The Michigan Ohio war was caused by the fact that surveyors of the time were really bad at their job.

[@mike-kp9yi]

Well done Simon. As always very enjoyable but you missed the war of the stray dog between Greece and Bulgaria.

[@salazarmandragora]

Hopefully that means that there is enough material for part-two, as far as wars for odd reasons is concerned.

[@benjaminepstein5856]

What the dog doing?

[@AndrewGivens]

@@benjaminepstein5856 If I recall correctly, it was a sick stray, which wandered down a road, across the border, and vomited on some petunias. - Then it assassinated an archduke or something.

[@duncancurtis5108]

The same small dog that ate Simons fleet of Whistler space fighters. 😅😅

[@Poe9320]

That's a dog though, that's worth thousands of human lives to me, so it's not strange, just uncommon

[@DonDavidly]

That Big L in the emu war is one of the funniest things that I have seen on youtube. Thanks Simon.

[@kaltaron1284]

They lost that war but then just resorted to bounties which worked far better.

[@VampireLestatTheBratPrince]

13:58 as an Aussie I was waiting for the emu war this whole episode

[@Raztiana]

In Denmark we had a king, who went to war, when he was unhappy in the bedroom. Although she has been very unpopular since, we owe his poor second wife a LOT of thanks for keeping him from going to war. He just kept on building a lot of pretty buildings during their marriage instead. But it was disgusting: Christian the 4th was 38, when he married a 16 year old girl.

[@xessenceofinsanityx]

1:20 "This didn't go down well" Of course it didn't, they had no bucket! 🤣

[@julianaylor4351]

There was an armed conflict in New Guinea when a pig ran from one village, into another rival village, years ago. The authorities had to go in and arrest the men of both villages, for killing people from the other village.

[@golferorb]

Interesting shirt for the thumbnail

[@K4rt80y]

6:00 Propeller driven fighters. P-51 Mustangs and F-4U Corsairs of WWII to be exact. It would be the last time piston engine fighters would engage each other in combat.

[@ocdnecro]

There is also the Colombian war of independence that was technically started by disputed over a flower base

[@Ikcatcher]

War never changes, but the reasons sure as hell can

[@davidsigalow7349]

It's a good thing of Mexico that the pastry shop didn't also sell Danish.

[@thomasbernecky2078]

It all gets back to Rule #1: People are stupid. And Simon: 1732 is more than a hundred years ago? My point proven.

[@sindrek8]

The Emu war was intense, you skipped the brutality of the Emus. They banded together, more intelligent than we thought. The first attack was a trap, they were waiting for us, as though they knew. They had provoked us into conflict and we were walking right into their grip. The battle was long and many paid with their lives but in the end we couldn't hold back the sheer numbers and once they got hold of our guns, it was all over. They killed anyone they saw, only those that ran and hid were able to escape. It was then we knew this war was going to be a long and difficult struggle for victory. To this day we still fight, in smaller numbers, attacking them by night in raids so that we may one day be freed from our oppressors.

[@WattToSay]

if i remember right, the Auss army sent 1 machine gun and 3 guys with like 800 bullets... to fight 50.000 Emu's... there was no way for them to win

[@merafirewing6591]

​@@WattToSay and a modified first generation of Ford trucks, the old 1910s one.

[@IsntTheInternetGreat]

The Emus wil not stop until they conquer Canberra and establish Emucracy.

[@user-lv7ph7hs7l]

​@@IsntTheInternetGreat You mean Emutopia? The old enemy of Kiwiland.

[@chrisforsyth8323]

Ah, a veteran, I see... @@user-lv7ph7hs7l

[@DuDe3810]

Was listening to the into and I was like "I hope he talks about the war of the bucket" and then for the first entry you said medieval Italy and I was like "no way"

[@iandecastro6661]

Ur the best KZbinr ever. It’s not even close. I’ve learned so much from ur content thank you

[@TheRealRedRooster]

Well, after mentioning of the Emu War, I was kind of expecting to see another chapter, about "The mouse that roared..." LOL

[@PHXDOG]

At the 5:58 mark you indicated that "Fighter Jets" were used but you showed a piston P-51 airplane, Why?

[@katsmeow6946]

lol I noticed that too. Trying to keep us on our toes. Or a mistake was made. Allegedly.

[@technovelo]

Considering the year and budgets involved, it's more likely the P-51 is correct and Simon meant to say fighter planes. Allegedly.

[@michaelmclachlan1650]

And a Canadian one at that.

[@xXScissorHandsXx]

Anybody else have their volume a little to high and thought Simon was about to bust out his best Edwin Starr at the onset? 😜

[@Nefville]

"Waaaarrrrreehhhhhnnn" what an awesome way to start an episode that caught me off guard 🤣

[@Pushing_Pixels]

Australia's humiliating surrender to the Emus was its darkest hour. Our national pride has never recovered.

[@mattfisher368]

The war of the bucket was also during the pro pope/pro HRE conflicts, the bucket was also Balonge's mainway of getting water from the local well

[@chelseawolfe5289]

That's the most Italian thing I've ever heard. IT'S NOT ABOUT THE BUCKET IT'S ABOUT THE RESPECT 😂

[@apmarcus]

Top tier comment 😂😂

[@kaltaron1284]

Don't forget WW1 which was caused because a bloke called Archie Duke shot an ostrich 'cause he was hungry.

[@francisboyle1739]

Australia, the only country to lose a war with dinosaurs! (It definitely sounds cooler if you put it that way.)

[@wolfkitteh]

But explains everything!

[@PoEtv-go3yt]

The theft of the bucket is a well proven myth. Your research is usually stellar. A little surprised to see such an inaccuracy

[@matsimmo6208]

The funniest part for me about the Emu War is that the military force was about 3 people and whatever farmers they could get to help them. They also only had 2 machine guns that weren’t great quality

[@tomgreen8246]

LEEEERROOOOOYYYY JJENNNNKKKINNSSS!!! P.S. I was hoping you'd include the Emu War 😂

[@mittensfastpaw]

Humanity is such a headache and it is no wonder if other life out there exists it skips this rock.

[@michaelstone5298]

By that time crossbows could Pierce through armor with longbows it depended on the armor

[@rangerlinford7417]

You should do a video on the Hatfields and mccoys

[@julianaylor4351]

One of the worst feuds ever, that would also make a good list. Have you seen the recent television mini series?

[@ferretyluv]

The War of the Bucket was just a battle in the middle of the investiture controversy, that’s why the fighting was so intense. Bologna was Guelph and Modena was Ghibelline. So this was just the straw that broke the camel’s back.

[@StephanieElizabethMann]

Maybe we in Australia should send Ukraine a battalion of emus. 😅

[@davidwong9230]

The Bucket War…for Bologna, it didn’t go down a tall well

[@Crossyonthetube]

Some nations might feel embarrassed by the loss to a flightless bird, but I can I can say with much certainty. We feel a sense of pride in the knowledge that the Emus won.

[@user-xj3ve7wt8k]

All hail Bucket !

[@keithdavison2960]

5:39 Boiling point surely you mean fever pitch

[@terrafirma5327]

The city I grew up in, South Weber, Utah, United States, had a small war in fact. "South Weber was the site of the Morrisite War. On June 13, 1862, an estimated 500-man army perched cannons atop the bluffs on the south side of the city, aimed at Joseph Morris. The war lasted three days, and ultimately resulted in the death of Joseph Morris, John Banks, and a few others." We even have a plaque for it.

[@katsmeow6946]

😂 I hope that you got out of The Land of Og.☮️❤

[@terrafirma5327]

@@katsmeow6946 Trying, Oregon is looking good.

[@livetoridetolive7881]

I've seen that passing through I hail from salt lake

[@terrafirma5327]

@@livetoridetolive7881 I wouldn't call it a tourist destination but it's a decent enough detour

[@livetoridetolive7881]

Strongly recommend Washington state it's amazing

[@julianaylor4351]

There's a Goodies comedy book, which features a spoof advert for a new Death Wish film, in which the lead character played by Charles Bronson goes on a rampage, because someone stole his ballpoint pen. 😆

[@AliciaAllred]

Hello Simon I love ur show!!!!!

[@cedgson91]

Fascinating Was not aware of these

[@PH-jv4ik]

God bless those Emu's.

[@matthewmizelle7923]

It's crazy when one little incident happened then all hell breaks loose lol.

[@jakub134]

"This is a bucket." "No." "There's more."

[@alyssinwilliams4570]

That first one, the bucket one. Anyone else get Springfield vs Shelbyville and Lemon Tree vibes?

[@colbygarcia8766]

“We hear there’s some kids from Springfield snooping around here in Shelbyville😠” “Curse those handsome devils!🥸”

[@PrimericanIdol]

I think wars should either be fought by the rulers themselves, or by arranging a sporting match the 2 parties mutually agree on, like Football (Sorry USA. I mean ⚽, not 🏈), Cricket, Golf, Rugby, Bowling, Snooker, Badminton, Jai Alai, Hockey (ice or grass), etc.

[@victoriaeads6126]

MMORPG! Conflict settled by World of Warcraft would be SO much better.

[@tychoMX]

That’s the old idea of having a “champion “. Single combat proxy to solve issues with reduced cost.

[@jnclouddragon9648]

Missing the point that wars are fought primarily over economic interests of the nation - meaning we all have a stake in the outcome. Staking the future of the nation on a single point of failure is poor strategy. War is ultimately about dealing with the realities of scarcity in resources.

[@dsxa918]

War is *typified* by dealing with realities of scarcity in resources. This video is "as lighthearted as it gets" when dealing with war.

[@aceundead4750]

This makes me think of the PetFoolery comic strip video about what started the war between orcs and elves, turns out it was because of a prank. Thousands of years of fighting because of a prank.

[@eaphantom9214]

07:34 - Really? 😂😂 A pastry? 🥧

[@johnwaldmann5222]

Interesting, when I was in Central America in 1990, an El Salvadoran spoke of the Football War as an intensely civilised conflict resolved on the football field. No mention of outright war following the football match. The stories told after the conflict play a part in establishing and maintaining the peace. Also provide inspiration for possible resolution of future conflicts. They can be constructive stories, ridiculous or utterly destructive.

[@georgiamackinlay5706]

As an Aussie the Emu War seems to be a national shame because we aren't taught about it at all 😂

[@ApocalypticInc013]

Ah our great Legendary Emu War. ALL HAIL OUR EMU OVERLORDS!!!!

[@eaphantom9214]

1 in medieval italy 🇮🇹 fought over a bucket 🪣 LOL 😂😂 I kid you not!

[@georgehh2574]

According to a comment, it was actually started over the capture of a castle, and they took the bucket as a trophy.

[@robertbarncord6341]

11:06 Let's go back a hundred years or so to the 18th century... Umm, what?

[@xessenceofinsanityx]

If this video doesn't cover the war of the bucket and the cod war, I'll riot

[@adetola1649]

Starting a new silly war, are we?

[@justindaniels9608]

The emu war warographics video is how I discovered simon.

[@nateoconnor97]

1:20 Of course it didn't go down well, Simon - they stole the bucket.

[@kaminari1028]

That has to bee the world’s thinnest door, Simon.

[@jasonlowery1369]

So when the call to arms goes out and the battle lines are drawn one question remains to be answered - are you a big ender or a little ender?

[@user-cy7ks3gt4k]

Megaprojects idea Bradley fighting vehicle. Amazing over spend and time scale

[@charisanna4914]

Can you imagine being the ref of one of those matches 👀

[@kevinbramlett5396]

Too bad they didn’t have A10 Warthogs in those days. The Emus would have been completely outclassed. 😂

[@multiyapples]

I’ve heard of these wars before.

[@davidbowie5023]

When you scored a golazo only to realise you caused a war.

[@SquatchStomper]

My family had emu's when I was growing up, and I unalived one with a bb gun, it just shocks me that a modern country lost a conflict against them.

[@krymsonuchiha14]

When they made the stanley parable deluxe, did they know about that bucket part?

[@jessekotso]

Thank God I watched till the end, the emu wars 😂😂😂😂😂😂 Oh God I can imagine 😂😂

[@91ATLbraves]

Not even starting the video but bet the bucket story is on here

[@PHXDOG]

The Pig War was a confrontation in 1859 between the United States and the United Kingdom over a farmer pet pig.

[@abrahamhwang1422]

Kinda makes you wonder what would happen if they presented another part of Jenkin. Maybe if it was Jenkin’s leg or Jenkin’s dog, they would have gone nuclear

[@jacksonstarky8288]

There could easily be a sequel to this video... hopefully it does well enough to motivate such a project. But yes, war is very much an industry... and a highly successful one under capitalism since long before the dawn of the British Empire, which epitomized the industrialization of warfare until the United States came along.

[@cajohnson1234]

5:58 Obviously not a jet, nor is it from the two combative nations (markings say it’s from the Royal Canadian Air Force). Plane is specifically a P51 Mustang. You should also look at the pug war and the lumberjack war, fought over equally stupid reasons!

[@ValkyrieofNOLA]

This entire episode is an example of how people in positions of immense power can make decisions that impact entire nations and allies just because they have been offended or insulted… human life had no value to the elite and powerful.

[@Tiglath-PileserXIX]

You think? Just ask GW Bush and his henchmen: Don (Rumsfield) and Dick (Cheney). Not one but two wars in our lifetime. For what? WMDs that did not exist in Iraq and to eliminate the Taliban from Afghanistan.

[@Sunnray]

"Didn't go down well" lol

[@pobg]

It’s not just serious business, it’s serious business.

[@h8_mE]

These wars don't hold a candle to the conflicts that can be started over a simple Tweet on X.

[@christophermerlot3366]

Nitpick time: if the War of Jenkins' Ear was in 1739-40, that is well over a hundred years ago.

[@merafirewing6591]

The Australians need to resume the Emu War.

[@Pissedoffdetective]

The Emu War is being released as a film soon. The trailer looks hilarious.

[@ragdolltech3526]

Am I the only one that thinks them STILL having that bucket is just a bit of a troll?

[@kvproductions2581]

They stole... A bucket. Dear god.