WEBVTT - Short Stuff: The Shortest War

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<v Speaker 1>Hey, and welcome to the short Stuff. I'm Josh and

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<v Speaker 1>there's Chuck and Jerry sitting in for Dave and appropriately

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<v Speaker 1>in this short Stuff we're going to talk about the

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<v Speaker 1>world's shortest war.

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<v Speaker 2>That's right, another day rue special for the Shorty. So

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<v Speaker 2>thanks Dave for this.

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<v Speaker 1>Yeah. Thanks.

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<v Speaker 2>This is about the Anglos Azibar War, which is generous

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<v Speaker 2>to call this a war, but technically it's listed as such.

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<v Speaker 2>It was really a very quick one sided conflict, so

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<v Speaker 2>quick it is known as the shortest war. Numbers vary,

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<v Speaker 2>but you probably see thirty eight minutes online when you

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<v Speaker 2>look this thing up, maybe as high as forty five.

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<v Speaker 1>Yeah, but everyone agrees it was less than an hour

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<v Speaker 1>this war, that's right. So Anglo'sanzibar means that it was

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<v Speaker 1>between England and Zanzibar. Appropriately enough, it happened, did you

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<v Speaker 1>say in eighteen ninety six?

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<v Speaker 2>I didn't mention the date.

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<v Speaker 1>It happened in eighteen ninety six, and it was between

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<v Speaker 1>the British Royal Navy and the Sultan of Zanzibar. And

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<v Speaker 1>you might say, like's the what's the deal here Zanzibar,

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<v Speaker 1>it's off the coast of Tanzania today, Why would the

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<v Speaker 1>British Navy care about this? Well, back in the eighteen

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<v Speaker 1>nineties and before that, Zanzibar was a very important and

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<v Speaker 1>very wealthy trading port. Was that exchanged goods between the

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<v Speaker 1>interior of Africa and the rest of the world, Middle East, Europe,

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<v Speaker 1>so forth. So Zanzibar was a very important place at

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<v Speaker 1>the time.

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<v Speaker 2>I thought it was important because of the great Billy

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<v Speaker 2>Joel song Zanzibar for real.

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<v Speaker 1>Billy joelded a record on that.

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<v Speaker 2>Hey, there's a song called Zanzibar. Good song, but I

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<v Speaker 2>think it's it's about a bar named Zanzibar.

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<v Speaker 1>Oh, Okay, that's a good name for a bar. Yeah,

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<v Speaker 1>I like it.

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<v Speaker 2>I just figured out to try and work in Billy

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<v Speaker 2>Joel as much as possible, since you didn't know I

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<v Speaker 2>was a fan Zanzibar. Yeah, you want to know the lyrics.

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<v Speaker 2>I'm not going to sing it. I got the old

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<v Speaker 2>Man's cart a jazz guitar. I got a tab at

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<v Speaker 2>Zanzibar tonight. That's where I'll be.

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<v Speaker 1>I'll be what's the next line?

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<v Speaker 2>Then that's the course. Then it goes into the next verse.

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<v Speaker 1>Okay. When I hear Zanzibar, I think of the gi

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<v Speaker 1>Jove dreadnoughts. They were in league with Cobra and they

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<v Speaker 1>were either from Zanzibar or one of them was named Anzibar.

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<v Speaker 2>See, I still never watch that stuff. I missed out.

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<v Speaker 1>They were great, man, I know you were stuck with

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<v Speaker 1>the big ones.

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<v Speaker 2>Yeah, So where do we leave. It was a busy

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<v Speaker 2>trading port. Did you mention everything they were trading yet?

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<v Speaker 1>No?

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<v Speaker 2>Okay, he left that to me. So they were trading ivory,

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<v Speaker 2>they were trading spices and things like that. They were

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<v Speaker 2>getting back weaponry and textiles. But very sadly, one of

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<v Speaker 2>the biggest exports was enslaved Africans. They estimate up to

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<v Speaker 2>thirty thousand and slaved people were shipped out through Zanzibar

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<v Speaker 2>all the way up through the eighteen eighties, by the way,

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<v Speaker 2>which is almost a couple of decades after the Emancipation Proclamation.

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<v Speaker 2>That was still going on there, and the Sultan of

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<v Speaker 2>Zanzibar was selling his people out because he was getting

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<v Speaker 2>rich off of this slave trade.

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<v Speaker 1>Yeah, and the British really didn't like this. They all

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<v Speaker 1>they wanted, you know, to have a a to control

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<v Speaker 1>this really expensive port. But they were very much driven

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<v Speaker 1>by outlawing slavery in Africa as well. So those two

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<v Speaker 1>things were big drivers of Great Britain's interest in Zanzibar,

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<v Speaker 1>and they in eighteen ninety came up with a treaty

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<v Speaker 1>between the British and the Germans as the Germans sorry,

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<v Speaker 1>that basically said here's a bunch of East Africa, this

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<v Speaker 1>is yours, this is mine, this is yours. It was

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<v Speaker 1>part of what became known as the Scramble for Africa,

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<v Speaker 1>and the European powers just basically carved the entire continent up.

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<v Speaker 1>That led to decades of colonization, colonialism that didn't free

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<v Speaker 1>up until I guess about the sixties. I think the

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<v Speaker 1>Scramble for Africa deserves its own episode.

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<v Speaker 2>So yeah, for sure, yeah, very shameful stuff. But they

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<v Speaker 2>carved out what they called zones of influence, and they

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<v Speaker 2>made Zanzibar a British protectorate, which I looked up the

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<v Speaker 2>difference between that and a colony. Apparently a protectorate there

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<v Speaker 2>you know, self ruling and stuff like that, so it's

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<v Speaker 2>not quite colony as colony light. They are still very

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<v Speaker 2>much under the control of the British government and military.

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<v Speaker 2>So they said Zanzibar is our protectorate, and we want

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<v Speaker 2>to get a friendly sultan in there at the Sultanate

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<v Speaker 2>of Zanzibar that's friendly to our needs and wants. And

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<v Speaker 2>so they picked a guy named Hamad ben Twany and

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<v Speaker 2>he was basically a puppet. He was the fifth Sultan

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<v Speaker 2>of Zanzibar, and this is an eighteen ninety three. But

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<v Speaker 2>he was not around long because Dave says Heroes, his

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<v Speaker 2>nephew also saw cousin, this guy, Khalid ben bar Goosh,

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<v Speaker 2>who had already had one failed run at the sultan ship.

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<v Speaker 2>I guess is that what it would be call sultany

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<v Speaker 2>and then try it again by almost certainly poisoning and

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<v Speaker 2>killing either his uncle or Cousinyane. Yeah.

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<v Speaker 1>Yeah. And one reason that he's a suspect is right

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<v Speaker 1>when Thuaney died, Ben Bargos showed up in the palace

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<v Speaker 1>and was like, I'm sultan now. Everybody wanting to let

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<v Speaker 1>you know. So if you you mentioned that Thuane's sultancy

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<v Speaker 1>lasted only three years, Bargosh's sultancy lasted only three days

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<v Speaker 1>because he installed himself as sultan and the British were like,

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<v Speaker 1>we don't like you. You're not going to do our bidding.

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<v Speaker 1>So we have a problem here.

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<v Speaker 2>Yeah, so they said, here's what we're gonna do. Actually,

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<v Speaker 2>let's take a break. Everyone's wondering what the heck's going

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<v Speaker 2>to happen next, right, Yes, all right, we'll be back

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<v Speaker 2>right after this. That's why sk to you should know.

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<v Speaker 1>All right.

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<v Speaker 2>So I was Everyone's hanging on the edge of their seat.

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<v Speaker 2>What are the British going to do? They're gonna engage

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<v Speaker 2>in gunboat diplomacy, which is the very next day, they

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<v Speaker 2>pulled up a bunch of ships to the harbor there

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<v Speaker 2>or whatever it is there and pointed the cannons at

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<v Speaker 2>the Royal Palace and said, you need to be out

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<v Speaker 2>of there by nine am and we'll just be waiting

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<v Speaker 2>here to see what you do.

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<v Speaker 1>That's pretty nice at nine am, you can get up early.

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<v Speaker 1>You could exercise the breakfast, have plenty of time. Yeah.

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<v Speaker 1>So Bargosh was like, I don't think you're going to

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<v Speaker 1>do that. He decided he was going to call the

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<v Speaker 1>British's bluff that they would they wouldn't fire on their

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<v Speaker 1>own protectorate. So he brought out his own heavy artillery guns.

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<v Speaker 1>I think the previous Sultan had actually developed a bit

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<v Speaker 1>of a personal fighting force, so those people showed up.

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<v Speaker 1>There were thousands of defense I saw one thousand. I'm

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<v Speaker 1>not one hundred percent certain, but there were a bunch

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<v Speaker 1>of Zanzibari defenders around the palace by eight am on

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<v Speaker 1>the day that Bargosh was supposed to leave.

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<v Speaker 2>That's right. And he told the British consul, Basil Cave,

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<v Speaker 2>I'm not leaving and Basil said, well, he said, we

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<v Speaker 2>have no intention of hauling down our flag and we

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<v Speaker 2>do not believe you will fire upon us. And Basil

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<v Speaker 2>Cave and the British most British way possible, said hmm,

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<v Speaker 2>we'd prefer not to attack, but unless you do as

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<v Speaker 2>you're told, we shall certainly do. So.

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<v Speaker 1>You sound like again, every time you do a British accent,

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<v Speaker 1>you sound like tankas area and mystery man.

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<v Speaker 2>Oh I love it.

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<v Speaker 1>I'll take it every time the blue rajah. Yeah. So

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<v Speaker 1>nine am happened and just very promptly the British started

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<v Speaker 1>pounding the Sultan's palace to dust. They made good on

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<v Speaker 1>their promise and they just started firing on it from

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<v Speaker 1>three warships.

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<v Speaker 2>And thirty eight minutes by most accounts is how long

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<v Speaker 2>that took to completely just I don't think it. They

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<v Speaker 2>destroyed the palace, but they put a herding on it.

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<v Speaker 2>Two minutes into this, Bargosh literally went out the back

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<v Speaker 2>door and fled to the German consulate and was like,

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<v Speaker 2>please help.

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<v Speaker 1>Yeah, he did, and the Germans were like, okay, well

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<v Speaker 1>we'll take care of you. And they smuggled him to

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<v Speaker 1>Tanzania or what's now Tanzania, and I guess he lived

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<v Speaker 1>out his days there. Did you see anything about him

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<v Speaker 1>after that?

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<v Speaker 2>I looked into it, but I don't remember it all.

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<v Speaker 2>And I was like, why am I bothering with all

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<v Speaker 2>of this if we're not going to talk about it right? Sorry.

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<v Speaker 1>The thing is one of the other remarkable aspects of

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<v Speaker 1>this very very short, less than an hour war was

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<v Speaker 1>just how lopsided the casualties were.

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<v Speaker 2>Yeah.

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<v Speaker 1>So, I mean, it's it's interesting to talk about now,

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<v Speaker 1>but five hundred Zanzibari's lost their lives. Yeah, in less

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<v Speaker 1>than an hour. Yeah.

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<v Speaker 2>I think they just rained down our artillery on them,

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<v Speaker 2>and like five hundred people died very very quickly. Only

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<v Speaker 2>one British sailor was wounded. Even I think no one

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<v Speaker 2>died on their side.

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<v Speaker 1>He probably slipped on the deck of a warship and

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<v Speaker 1>like impaled his thigh on his sword. Yeah, that's what

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<v Speaker 1>I'm guessing happened. Yeah, although I did see British marines

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<v Speaker 1>storm the island, so it probably actually happened there.

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<v Speaker 2>Yeah. After this though, they because Bargash was gone, they

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<v Speaker 2>said all right, well now we're going to install our

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<v Speaker 2>own new sultan that we wanted to do begin with,

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<v Speaker 2>that will be sympathetic to our needs and basically do

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<v Speaker 2>what we say.

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<v Speaker 1>Yes, So there was a this is a big deal,

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<v Speaker 1>especially at the time, because it basically showed the other

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<v Speaker 1>nations of East Africa, like do these guys will mess

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<v Speaker 1>you up? They're they're not messing around, and they want

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<v Speaker 1>our they want our land, they want our nations, and that,

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<v Speaker 1>like I said, really kind of was a flashpoint for

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<v Speaker 1>the scramble for Africa because I think also other European

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<v Speaker 1>powers were like, oh man, the Brits are going to

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<v Speaker 1>do that, They're going to take over the entire continent.

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<v Speaker 1>We better get there as soon as possible.

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<v Speaker 2>Yeah, And then, like you mentioned, the nineteenth nineteen sixties

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<v Speaker 2>was when a lot of this started unwinding itself. And

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<v Speaker 2>Zanzibar was one of them under British control until ten

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<v Speaker 2>of December nineteen sixty three, and then they became a

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<v Speaker 2>fully sovereign state and a member of the Commonwealth of Nations.

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<v Speaker 2>So good for them.

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<v Speaker 1>Yeah, and the sovereign state thing only lasted a short

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<v Speaker 1>time because very quickly they merged with we kept saying

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<v Speaker 1>what's now Tanzania At the time it was Tanganyika, and

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<v Speaker 1>they merged with Zanzibar into Tanzania. Isn't that right?

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<v Speaker 2>It's super neat.

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<v Speaker 1>It's a great amalgamation of names.

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<v Speaker 2>Yeah. I love it. And just learning more and more

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<v Speaker 2>about African history is something I did not learn much

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<v Speaker 2>growing up. It has been a cool part of the

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<v Speaker 2>show and I can't wait to learn more.

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<v Speaker 1>Agreed. I think short Stuff is out.

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