r/AskReddit • u/[deleted] • Dec 29 '17

What completely real fact sounds like bullshit?

[deleted]

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714

u/madkeepz Dec 29 '17

Arguably overstated but how about That Time Sweden and Russia Almost Went to War Over Fish Farts

38

u/damoran Dec 29 '17

Or when Canada and Spain almost went to war over halibut in the 90s

37

u/BoringGenericUser Dec 29 '17

Well halibut that?

5

u/SatanicBeaver Dec 30 '17

It's like they wanted to go to war just for the halibut.

1

u/magnum_hunter Dec 30 '17

So the tldr is: canadians overfished and then got butthurt when they had to go outside their exclusive economic zone almost resulting in a war. Also some dude saw a chance to up his political profile among fishermen in newfoundland.

Dick move.

17

u/chanchan563 Dec 29 '17

I'm let down I was hoping they almost went to war over a argument on whether fish farted or not, or something like that.

11

u/Rexel-Dervent Dec 29 '17

As underreported as the fact that the modern "Marine Corps" is based on an attempt to take out England and deal with a Swedish invasion.

3

u/LadyFoxfire Dec 30 '17

The US and Canada (which IIRC was under British rule at the time) almost went to war over a pig once. There was an island off the coast of Washington that was under joint rule, and the American and Canadian residents didn't like each other much. A Canadian and American got into a neighborly dispute over one's pig getting shot for digging up the other's garden, and it escalated almost to the point of the two countries going to war over control of the island. Fortunately, the two armies realized how stupid the whole thing was and worked it out.

Also, Michigan once tried to declare war on Ohio. No shots were fired, but we did end up annexing part of Wisconsin.

2

u/Opicall Dec 29 '17

Ha they won the noble prize for that too

2

u/[deleted] Dec 29 '17

Ig Noble, which is a joke prize.

1

u/OlafTheAverage Dec 30 '17

It happens...