The shortest war in history lasted only thirty eight minutes.
Why it is true
The Anglo Zanzibar War occurred in 1896. The conflict began at nine in the morning and ended at nine thirty eight, when the sultan's palace was destroyed by British naval artillery and Zanzibar forces surrendered.
Source: British Museum
Would you rather be asked first?
This is the reading side of the site, so the answer is in the sentence above — that is the whole point of it. Test yourself works the other way round: the question comes on its own, and the fact and the explanation only appear once you have answered.