Ever heard of the Bicholim Conflict? The undeclared war between Portugal and the Indian Maratha Empire lasted from 1640 to 1641, but there was little damage and few casualties. It was significant largely for its peace treaty; the settlement between Portugal and India helped pave the way for Goa as an independent state.
There’s one little problem with this whole narrative—none of it actually happened. The Bicholim Conflict is a 4,500 word Wikipedia hoax, an article that achieved “good article” status for its “thorough” treatment of a war that never existed, Techcrunch reports. The page was even nominated for “featured article” status by probable creator “A-b-a-a-a-a-a-a-b-a.” Luckily, the Daily Dot reports, Wikipedia editors did not give the page a “featured article” status, saying it was based too heavily on “a few weak sources.” The article’s reviewers appear not to have noticed that the “weak sources” were as fake as the conflict itself.
