Sunday Open Thread: June 25 is National Catfish Day in the US

World History On June 25, 1741, Maria Theresa of Austria was crowned Queen of Hungary. Her succession was the main point and purpose of the "Pragmatic Sanction". Said sanction failed its other purpose, peaceful acceptance of her succession by all of Europe. It instead caused The War of the Austrian Succession, during which the Empire lost Silesia to Frederick the Great. She eventually tried to take it back and started the Seven Year's War in the attempt. This war wound up involving most of Europe, with all of the Great Powers aligned against a British-Prussian alliance. It it known as The French and Indian War in the US. It cost France its North American holdings, and left Prussia still in control of Silesia.

US History On June 25, 1876, Lieutenant Colonel George Armstrong Custer decided to immediately attack a Native Ameican village near the Little Bighorn River. He would've preferred a crack of dawn surprise attack on the 26th, but thought that his troops had been spotted so he chose an immediate attack lest the occupants scatter an get away. Custer and his underlings were unable to isolate, attack, and capture non-combatants to use as human shields as he had advocated in his book and succeeded in doing at the Washita Massacre. Instead he and his troops wound up in straight up combat against the Native American male and female warriors who defeated them, bigly. This event is variously known as the Battle of the Greasy Grass (Native Americans) or the Battle of the Little Big Horn (White Invaders), though it is sometimes instead romantisized as "Custer's Last Stand".

Science On June 25, 1894, Hermann Oberth was born. One of the fathers of rocketry.

Philosophy On Une 25, 1908, Willard Van Orman Quine was born

The Arts On June 25, 1852, Antoni Gaudi was born On June 28, 1903, George Orwell was born On June 28, 1925, Clifton Chenier was born

Other On June 25, 1678 Elena Cornaro Piscopia became the first woman ever awarded a Ph. D

This clearly calls for Catfish (John)

And the inimitable Clifton Chenier

Crossposted from http://caucus99percent.com