On June 25, 1876, Lt. Colonel George Armstrong Custer and over 200 of his men were killed at the Battle of Little Bighorn in what is now Montana. The fight was part of the Great Sioux War, a series of conflicts between the U.S. Army and Native American tribes resisting forced relocation to reservations. Custer’s 7th Cavalry came up against a massive force of Lakota Sioux, Northern Cheyenne, and Arapaho warriors, led by figures like Sitting Bull, Crazy Horse, and Gall.

Custer had underestimated both the size and coordination of the Native coalition. Thinking he could strike quickly, he divided his forces into smaller units — a decision that proved disastrous. When he and his detachment approached the Native encampment near the Little Bighorn River, they were surrounded and overwhelmed in under two hours. No U.S. soldiers under Custer’s immediate command survived.

The defeat shocked the American public. Newspapers dubbed it “Custer’s Last Stand,” framing it as a heroic but doomed effort. But for Native communities, it was a powerful victory — a moment where they pushed back successfully against U.S. expansion and defended their way of life. Still, the celebration was short-lived. In the months that followed, the U.S. government responded with increased military force, eventually forcing most tribes onto reservations.

So on June 25, 1876, the rolling hills of Montana became the site of one of the most famous — and most misunderstood — battles in American history. The Battle of Little Bighorn wasn’t just a military defeat; it was a flashpoint in the long, violent struggle between Native nations and the U.S. government, with consequences that rippled for generations.

On June 25, 1950, the Korean War began when North Korean forces, backed by the Soviet Union and China, crossed the 38th parallel and invaded South Korea. The goal was to reunify the country under communist rule. Within hours, tanks rolled into South Korea’s capital, Seoul, and the invasion caught the South Korean military — and the world — completely off guard.

Just two days later, the United Nations, led mostly by American troops under General Douglas MacArthur, voted to intervene. President Harry Truman ordered U.S. forces to join the fight, calling it a stand against communist expansion. What followed was a brutal, seesawing conflict that dragged on for three years. At different points, both sides nearly pushed each other off the peninsula entirely.

The Korean War became the first major armed conflict of the Cold War, where capitalist and communist superpowers clashed without directly fighting each other. It also set the tone for decades of U.S. military involvement in Asia. The terrain was harsh, the fighting was intense, and millions of civilians were displaced or killed in the crossfire.

By the time an armistice was signed in 1953, the border between North and South Korea had barely moved. No peace treaty was ever signed, and technically, the war never officially ended. So on June 25, 1950, what started as a surprise attack turned into a bloody stalemate — one that still shapes the geopolitics of East Asia today.

Medieval Witch Hunter🧙‍♀️
Witchfinder Matthew Hopkins wasn’t officially sanctioned by the government, but that didn’t stop him from calling himself the “Witchfinder General” and going on a personal crusade through 1640s England, during the chaos of the English Civil War. In just two years, he was responsible for the execution of over 100 women, using flimsy accusations, brutal interrogations, and staged “tests” to root out supposed witches. He claimed divine authority, charged towns hefty fees, and profited off panic, superstition, and war-time disorder — leaving a bloody mark on English history with no actual mandate. 🧹⚖️🔥

Opening The Floodgates🌊
During the Siege of Leningrad in World War II, the Soviets took desperate measures to stop advancing Nazi forces — including deliberately flooding parts of their own city. By opening floodgates and saturating low-lying areas, they turned roads and fields into mud traps, bogging down German tanks and buying precious time. It was a harsh tactic that added to the city’s suffering, but it worked — helping stall the invasion and keep the Germans from breaching Leningrad's defenses. In a battle where starvation, cold, and strategy collided, even the ground itself became a weapon. 💧⚔️🛡️

Chinese Beard Rule🧔‍♂️
In Qing Dynasty China, your beard wasn’t just a style choice — it was a political statement. Facial hair was linked to Confucian ideals of wisdom and authority, and only certain officials and elders were permitted to grow them to full lengths. Unauthorized or untamed beard growth could be viewed as a subtle act of rebellion, especially in an empire built on hierarchy, order, and visible loyalty. In a society where grooming was policy, even your chin hair had consequences. 🧔🎎📜

Ancient Acupuncture🪨
Long before surgical steel and modern clinics, ancient Chinese medicine used sharpened stone tools to perform acupuncture — a practice dating back over 2,000 years. These early needles, called bian stones, were carefully shaped to stimulate pressure points and relieve pain, following the same meridian theories used today. Though the tools were primitive, the concept of energy flow and healing through touch was already highly advanced. It’s a reminder that ancient knowledge often poked deeper than it seems. 🪨🪡

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