10 Historical Events That Were a Lot Shorter Than You Realised

1. The Great Fire of London (1666)

This devastating fire raged for just over three days, from September 2 to September 5, 1666, yet it destroyed much of the city.

2. The Hundred Days (1815)

Napoleon Bonaparte’s return from exile and his brief second reign lasted only about 111 days, from March 20 to June 28, 1815, ending with his defeat at the Battle of Waterloo.

3. The Falklands War (1982)

This conflict between the United Kingdom and Argentina over the Falkland Islands lasted for just ten weeks, from April 2 to June 14, 1982.

4. The Cuban Missile Crisis (1962)

This intense 13-day confrontation between the United States and the Soviet Union over Soviet ballistic missiles in Cuba lasted from October 16 to October 28, 1962.

5. The Battle of New Orleans (1815)

Fought between the United States and Britain during the War of 1812, this decisive battle lasted only a few hours on January 8, 1815, though the war had formally ended with the Treaty of Ghent in December 1814.

6. The Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand (1914)

The assassination that sparked World War I took mere moments on June 28, 1914, but its impact was monumental.

7. The Six-Day War (1967)

This war between Israel and neighboring Arab states (Egypt, Jordan, and Syria) lasted from June 5 to June 10, 1967, resulting in a significant territorial expansion for Israel.

8. The Space Shuttle Challenger Disaster (1986)

The tragic explosion of the Challenger space shuttle occurred just 73 seconds after liftoff on January 28, 1986.

9. The Fall of the Berlin Wall (1989)

The effective fall of the Berlin Wall began with a miscommunication at a press conference on November 9, 1989, leading to a spontaneous breach of the wall within hours.

10. The Sinking of the Titanic (1912)

The Titanic struck an iceberg on April 14, 1912, and sank in the early hours of April 15, 1912, taking just about 2 hours and 40 minutes to sink after the collision.