This day in history: 25 june

Europa

• 524: The Franks were defeated by the Burgundians at the Battle of Vézeronce.
• 841: The Battle of Fontenay-en-Puisaye saw forces led by Charles the Bald and Louis the German defeat the armies of Lothair I of Italy and Pepin II of Aquitaine.
• 1258: In the War of Saint Sabas, the Venetians defeated a larger Genoese fleet at the Battle of Acre.
• 1530: The Augsburg Confession, a foundational document of Lutheranism, was presented to the Holy Roman Emperor by German Lutheran princes and Electors at the Diet of Augsburg.
• 1678: Elena Cornaro Piscopia became the first woman awarded a doctorate of philosophy, graduating from the University of Padua in Italy.
• 1741: Maria Theresa was crowned Queen of Hungary.
• 1940: The first early morning air-raid alarm was heard in London. On the same day, all acts of war between French and German forces officially ceased as France capitulated to Germany.
• 1941: The Continuation War began, with the Soviet Union and Finland (supported by Nazi Germany) entering into conflict. Major Russian forces were close to being surrounded by German Panzer units in the Bialystok area (then eastern Poland).
• 1942: The RAF launched its third 1,000-bomber raid, targeting Bremen, Germany, causing significant damage to the city and the Focke-Wulf plant.
• 1943: Jews in the Częstochowa Ghetto in Poland staged an uprising against the Nazis, and a new gas chamber/crematory opened at Auschwitz, increasing the camp’s capacity for mass murder.
• 1944: The Battle of Tali-Ihantala, the largest battle ever fought in the Nordic countries, began between Finnish and Soviet forces. Meanwhile, British and U.S. naval forces bombarded Cherbourg to support the Battle of Cherbourg in France.
• 1945: The Allies announced the division of Austria into four administrative zones, laying the groundwork for postwar occupation and governance.
• 1947: The first publication of The Diary of Anne Frank occurred, documenting the life of a Jewish girl hiding from the Nazis in Amsterdam.
• 1967: The world’s first live global satellite TV program, “Our World,” was broadcast by the BBC, featuring artists from 19 countries, including The Beatles premiering “All You Need Is Love”.
• 1997: The death of Jacques Cousteau, the renowned French biologist and inventor.

America

• Battle of the Little Bighorn (1876)
  On June 25, 1876, Lieutenant Colonel George Armstrong Custer and 265 men of the U.S. 7th Cavalry were killed by a coalition of Lakota Sioux, Northern Cheyenne, and Arapaho warriors at the Battle of the Little Bighorn in Montana. This event, also known as “Custer’s Last Stand,” was a significant Native American victory and became a symbol of Native resistance to U.S. government policies. The battle was the result of tensions over U.S. attempts to force Native tribes onto reservations, especially after gold was discovered in the Black Hills, which had been guaranteed to the Sioux by treaty.
• Virginia Ratifies the U.S. Constitution (1788)
  On June 25, 1788, Virginia ratified the U.S. Constitution, becoming the 10th state to join the United States.
• Korean War Begins (1950)
  On June 25, 1950, North Korea invaded South Korea, marking the start of the Korean War. The United States, under President Harry S. Truman, quickly committed troops and naval support to assist South Korea as part of a United Nations effort.
• In 1868, the U.S. Congress enacted legislation granting an eight-hour workday to federal government employees.
• In 1867, Lucien B. Smith patented the first barbed wire in the United States.
• In 1917, the first American fighting troops landed in France during World War I.
• In 1951, the first regular commercial color TV transmissions were presented on CBS in New York.

Asia

• On June 25, 1950, the Korean War began when North Korean forces launched a large-scale invasion of South Korea across the 38th parallel. This surprise attack marked the start of a brutal conflict that would last until 1953, involving not only Koreans but also the United States, China, and other United Nations member states.
• The invasion quickly overwhelmed South Korean defenses, with North Korean troops occupying much of the south within days.
• The United Nations Security Council, notably without the Soviet delegate present, passed a resolution calling for member states to assist South Korea.
• The war is deeply remembered in Korea: in South Korea, it is called the “6-25 War” or simply “6-2-5,” referencing the date of the outbreak.
• The conflict caused immense devastation: up to 4 million people died, most of them civilians, and both North and South Korea suffered massive economic and social disruption.
• The war’s legacy continues to shape the Korean Peninsula and international relations in East Asia today.
• In 1863, the Chōshū Domain fired on British, French, and Dutch warships in the Shimonoseki Strait (Shimonoseki Incident).
• In 1866, Japan’s first Western-style lighthouse was constructed at Kannonzaki.
• In 1882, a horse-drawn railway began operation between Shinbashi and Nihonbashi in Tokyo.
• In 1959, Emperor Shōwa attended his first baseball game, witnessing a dramatic win by the Tokyo Giants.

Africa

• On June 25–26, 1955, the Congress of the People convened in Kliptown, near Johannesburg, South Africa. This gathering brought together approximately 8,000 delegates representing the African National Congress (ANC), the Congress of Democrats, the South African Indian Congress, the Coloured People’s Congress, and the South African Congress of Trade Unions.
• The Congress adopted the Freedom Charter, a visionary document calling for a united, non-racial, and democratic South Africa. The Charter articulated the hopes and aspirations of all progressive people in the country and became the foundation for future anti-apartheid activism.
• The event was one of the most representative gatherings in South African history, uniting workers, peasants, intellectuals, women, youth, and students of all races and backgrounds.
• While June 25 is not Africa Day (which is celebrated on May 25 to mark the founding of the Organization of African Unity in 1963), it remains significant due to the adoption of the Freedom Charter, a milestone in the struggle against apartheid in South Africa.
• No major continental independence anniversaries or pan-African commemorations are specifically tied to June 25, but the date is a key marker in South African and broader African liberation history.