Human history has been full of
battles and wars,
some big
and some small.
But if World War 3 were to happen,
it might be humanity's biggest battle yet.
Advanced technology,
massive troops,
and more intensive strategy would all be involved.
People have talked about a possible World War 3
for decades.
It almost started in the 1960s,
during the Cold War
between Russia and the United States,
but thankfully we managed to avoid that.
But let's say we
aren't lucky enough to avoid it next time.
When might World War 3 happen?
Well, it's tough to say.
A world war could start due to prominent
political figures getting killed,
intelligence threats
or fighting over valuable resources.
Talking about it like this makes the
chances of a war happening sound likely.
But the chances are actually a lot
lower than you think.
Since 1945,
the world has seen many different battles
Vietnam, Afghanistan
and dozens of different civil wars.
We should keep in mind that
in order for a world war to happen,
it needs to involve the entire world.
And the structure of the world has
changed even more since 1945.
Countries simply aren't as
closely allied as they used to be.
Militaries are even
stronger and more skilled than they were.
As in previous world wars it's most likely that
millions of people would die,
and the Earth would take decades,
if not centuries, to recover,
especially with some of the weapons
and tools countries would be using in todays age.
Soldiers on the ground might have exoskeletons.
These are a metal frames around the soldier's body that
augment their strength.
Although this probably won't turn them into Robocop,
it would make it easier for soldiers to carry
heavy equipment over long distances.
Weapons that can bend around corners
might also be a possibility.
And instead of seeing the war fought in the sea
or the sky
it could actually be fought in space.
Militaries could fight over weaponized satellites
that could affect what's below them.
Although a lot of this stuff sounds
like something out of a sci-fi movie,
we should keep in mind that
these weapons are scary,
and hopefully no one will ever need to use them.
After all,
things like this are meant to kill people. 
But there may not be many soldiers on the ground.
The war of the future might be fought on computers.
Drones, artificial intelligence and robots
could be the only things on the battlefield. 
There's also a chance that
acts of war in the future
might not involve any violence at all.
Hacking into other countries' computers,
as well as power grid shutdowns,
are all a possibility. 
And what would this war be about, anyway?
It could have to do with resources,
specifically water.
Since fresh water is such a scarce,
yet valuable resource,
nations may begin to fight over
it as it continues to deplete.  
Hopefully, World War 3 won't go on forever.
So how could it end? 
Well, one reason,
and a main reason why a world
war hasn't happened yet
has to do with these things.
During World War 2,
the United States dropped nuclear bombs on Japan,
killing over 100,000 people.
The cities involved
took decades to recover.
But the two nukes
used in World War 2
would pale in comparison
to the modern nukes we have today.
Oh, and by the way,
there are nearly 14,000 nuclear
warheads around the world
held mostly by America,
Russia and China.
A nation can have all the resources,
people, and strategy they want,
but if a nuke gets dropped on them, 
then it's game over.
And if one country drops a nuke,
what's to stop another country from doing the same?
And then another?
And another?
And soon, the world would be destroyed.
So who would win this war?
A full-on World War 3
would have a massive impact
on the world as a whole.
It's safe to say that the world
would never be the same.
But try not to lose sleep over this.
After all, a third world war like this,
with dozens of countries involved,
is incredibly unlikely to start tomorrow.
If two countries get into a fight,
it's more likely that
other countries that
aren't directly involved will stay that way,
and let the other nations fight for themselves.
Wars are terrible, let's try to avoid them.
After a heavy subject like this,
I need a bit more fun.
I know,
what if we jumped into a pool full of stomach acid?
May not be fun but,
that sounds like a story for another WHAT IF.
