A War Was Fought Over a Wooden Bucket

In 1325, the Italian cities of Bologna and Modena went to war after Modenese soldiers stole a simple wooden bucket from a public well. While political tensions had already existed between the rival cities, the stolen bucket became the symbol of the conflict. Thousands of soldiers fought in what became known as the War of the Bucket. The original bucket is still preserved in Modena today as a reminder that history can be surprisingly petty.

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