The Flagpole Incident
In 1937, during escalating tensions between China and Japan, a Japanese soldier claimed a Chinese troop raised a flag “too high” near a shared railway. Shots were fired, both sides blamed the other, and the Marco Polo Bridge Incident spiraled into full-scale war.
While deeper issues fueled the conflict, the immediate cause really did involve flag etiquette and territorial pride. As it turns out, sometimes the placement of fabric on a pole can ignite years of brutal warfare.
Absolutely! Here’s the next set of 10 absurd and outrageous war triggers, continuing your viral article format:
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