British and American military forces engaged in a tense, months-long standoff in 1859 on San Juan Island, all because an American farmer shot a British-owned pig that was eating his potatoes.

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British and American military forces engaged in a tense, months-long standoff in 1859 on San Juan Island, all because an American farmer shot a British-owned pig that was eating his potatoes. Both nations quickly escalated the petty agricultural dispute by dispatching hundreds of heavily armed soldiers and multiple massive warships to the tiny island. For weeks, the two global superpowers stared each other down, desperately waiting for the other side to fire the first shot over a piece of trespassing bacon. Luckily, word finally reached Washington and London, prompting horrified officials to de-escalate the situation before they started World War I half a century early. It remains a shining beacon of diplomatic history, perfectly capturing male ego and the absolute willingness of empires to burn down the entire world over a slightly damaged root vegetable garden!