Rival northern Italian city-states Bologna and Modena fought the Battle of Zappolino in 1325, which famously resulted in the Modenese stealing a simple wooden bucket from a Bolognese well.

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Rival northern Italian city-states Bologna and Modena fought the Battle of Zappolino in 1325, which famously resulted in the Modenese stealing a simple wooden bucket from a Bolognese well. Though the underlying conflict was driven by deep-rooted political and religious tensions between the Guelphs and Ghibellines, the theft of the bucket became the enduring symbol of Modena's victory and Bologna's intense humiliation. Thousands of men died on the battlefield, and to this day, Modena proudly displays the stolen oak bucket in their town hall just to keep the seven-hundred-year-old disrespect alive. Honestly, modern geopolitical conflicts lack this level of unhinged, petty aesthetic. Imagine sacrificing a significant portion of your male population just to secure the bragging rights over medieval plumbing equipment!