10 Astonishing and Almost Unbelievable Moments in History

History is full of bizarre, shocking, and downright unbelievable events that make you wonder how they even happened. From wars started over a pastry to animals put on trial, here are ten of the strangest moments in history you might not believe actually happened.

1. The Great Emu War (1932) – When Australia Lost a War Against Birds

In 1932, Australia faced an unexpected enemy—emus. After World War I, returning soldiers were given farmland in Western Australia, but a surge of emus (large flightless birds) wreaked havoc on their crops. The government sent soldiers armed with machine guns to fight the emus, but the birds were too fast and resilient. Despite thousands of rounds of ammunition, the emus won. The government eventually gave up, leaving the farmers to fend for themselves.

2. Napoleon Was Once Attacked by a Horde of Bunnies

Napoleon Bonaparte, one of the greatest military minds in history, was once embarrassingly attacked by an army of rabbits. His chief of staff arranged a rabbit hunt to entertain Napoleon and his officers, releasing hundreds (some say thousands) of rabbits. However, instead of running away, the rabbits charged at Napoleon and his men. It turns out the rabbits had been domesticated and expected to be fed—so they swarmed their “hunters” in search of food.

3. The War of the Stray Dog (1925) – A War Between Greece and Bulgaria Over a Dog

In 1925, a border skirmish between Greece and Bulgaria escalated into full-scale conflict—all because of a dog. A Greek soldier allegedly chased his runaway dog across the Bulgarian border, leading to a misunderstanding that resulted in gunfire. Greece retaliated by invading Bulgaria, but the League of Nations (the predecessor to the United Nations) stepped in and forced Greece to withdraw.

4. A Drunken Banquet Led to the Fall of the Persian Empire

In 330 BC, Alexander the Great and his men held a massive drinking party in the Persian capital of Persepolis. In their drunken state, they decided to burn down the magnificent city, supposedly as revenge for the Persian destruction of Athens. The once-glorious capital of the Persian Empire was reduced to ashes in a single night of intoxicated revelry.