[ WP ] World War III has started for the most mundane reason you can think of .

The weather was nice at this time of year in Moscow. It was mid-summer and president Barack Hussein Obama was on a diplomatic visit in the Kreml to discuss the reduction in the two countries' respective nuclear arsenals. Mostly, the whole thing was for show for the press, to give the media some nice photos to put on their covers. Well, their 5th or 6th pages at least. The important things were left to both countries' military and foreign ministries. 
 
 After some long speeches, standing behind podiums, the formalities were done and Obama stood next to Putin, as the two shook hands, talked and posed for the cameras. At this point, of course, Obama knew that it hardly mattered what he said. It was at this point, that something came to his mind. He had asked his Russia advisor for some phrases he could use in their language. So he said to Putin: `` You know, I have learned some things since we last met. Let me see, if I get this right. ``, and then, in broken Russian: `` [ The weather is nice ]''. The shocked, pale face of Putin was the last thing he saw, because he had accidentaly said a predetermined save word, that the Russian head of state was given in case something went disastrously wrong. It caused a Russian secret service agent to shoot the U.S. President and put the military in high alert ( because of the retaliation that was sure to come ), while Putin was hurriedly rushed away, constantly saying in Russian: `` No, no, this is a mistake''. 
 
 
 Meanwhile, the U.S. saw this as a declaration of war and started mobilizing it's troops as well. Hundreds of thousands of phones rang as all U.S. reserve troops were called into service and everyone working for the government overall called into office. In Europe and other allied countries, both for Russia and the U.S., the same happened. 
 
 At this point, disaster could still have been averted, if in china, there had n't been a sack of rice that fell over. It fell on the Russian ambassadors' head, who was just minding his own business shopping, which made China think there had been a political assassination on chinese soil, made by the CIA. This, in addition to the fear of no one standing up to the U.S. and its' allies in the future if Russia lost, caused them to join the Russian side and, in overeagerness, retaliate against U.S. ambassadors and citizens, holding them hostage in exchange for their own. 
 
 This provocation caused the U.S. to declare war on China and Russia, seeing no viable alternative at this point, followed suit.
