The Anglo-Zanzibar War of 1896
When Sultan Khalid bin Barghash seized power in Zanzibar without British approval, the Royal Navy unleashed an overwhelming bombardment that ended the conflict in under three-quarters of an hour.
Explore the fascinating limits of human brevity and geographic miniatures. From 38-minute wars and 53-second scheduled flights to rivers measured in footsteps and kings who ruled for twenty minutes.
The world's shortest scheduled commercial flight spans only 1.7 miles across the Orkney Islands, regularly completed in under one minute.
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When Sultan Khalid bin Barghash seized power in Zanzibar without British approval, the Royal Navy unleashed an overwhelming bombardment that ended the conflict in under three-quarters of an hour.
Spanning just 1.7 miles across the turbulent waters of northern Scotland, this scheduled passenger service takes less time than commercial aircraft take to reach cruising altitude.
From the turquoise freshwater spring of Tamborasi River in Indonesia (20m) to Montana's famous Roe River (61m), discover why these natural wonders spark intense geographical debates.
A single blue rope on a sandy tombolo marks the world's shortest sovereign international land boundary, separating a Spanish military fortress enclave directly from the Kingdom of Morocco.
During the July Revolution of 1830, King Charles X of France abdicated his throne. For exactly twenty minutes before signing his own abdication, his son was technically King Louis XIX.
Explore the 83.4-centimeter, 5-step Puchicala escalator in Kawasaki, Japan, and the world's shortest standalone funicular railway, Angels Flight in Downtown Los Angeles.