In 1821, the Greek War of Independence began with an unexpected ally, the Philhellenes, a group of foreign volunteers who joined the fight out of admiration for Greek culture. 

During the 14th century, the first known labor strike took place in ancient Egypt when artisans working on the royal necropolis at Deir el-Medina stopped working due to delayed grain rations.

In 1904, a group of women in Stockholm organized a boycott against butter as a protest against high prices, leading to significant public support and eventual price reductions.

The Great Emu War of 1932 in Australia was an unusual military operation where soldiers were deployed to curb the emu population ravaging crops, but the birds largely outmaneuvered the troops.

In 1770, Marie Antoinette and her brother-in-law, the future King Louis XVI, played a crucial role in the introduction of the potato to France as a staple food, overcoming public resistance to the crop.