4. The Pig War (San Juan Islands, 1859)
In 1859, a border dispute between the United States and Great Britain over the San Juan Islands nearly escalated into war over the death of a pig. On June 15, American settler Lyman Cutlar shot a pig belonging to the British Hudson’s Bay Company that was rooting in his garden. This incident led to military standoffs between American and British forces on the island. The conflict was resolved peacefully, but it highlighted the absurdity of its origins (nps.gov).
