What does it take to push two of the world's greatest powers to the brink of war? In 1859, the answer wasn't a border skirmish or a diplomatic breakdown, but something far more absurd: a pig. On the beautiful San Juan Island, a territory claimed by both the United States and Great Britain, a simmering border dispute boiled over when an American farmer shot a British-owned pig for repeatedly raiding his potato patch. This single gunshot set off a bizarre and dangerous chain of events that would see two nations deploy soldiers and warships, all centered on a conflict over a dead farm animal.



In this episode of Monday Madness, Stephen and Leah unravel the incredible true story of the Pig War. Discover how a petty argument over compensation escalated into a full-blown military crisis, with a hot-headed American general sending in troops led by a future Confederate icon, George Pickett. Learn about the tense standoff that lasted for months and the one cool-headed British admiral who refused an order that would have certainly started a war. It's a forgotten but fascinating tale of how international madness was narrowly averted, leading to a peaceful resolution where the only casualty was the pig that started it all.


Research Links
National Park Service | The Pig War 
HistoryLink.org | The Pig War Crisis

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