Ideas from the CBC: The Pig War and the Meaning of History

In 1859, on a small island in the Pacific Northwest, an American shot a pig. But that pig belonged to the Hudson's Bay Company. British warships were dispatched, American troops landed, and suddenly the United States and British Empire were on the brink of war once again. The incident became known as The Pig War, and it claimed one casualty: the pig. Over the years, tales about the conflict have been embellished and exaggerated, conspiracy theories invented, and lessons derived. But underneath all the folklore and tall tales is a story of peace, diplomacy, and how we make meaning out of history.