This Day in History: June 25

1678: Venetian Elena Cornaro Piscopia becomes the first woman to receive a university doctoral degree or PhD

Elena Cornaro Piscopia was a Venetian philosopher, theologian, and musician who, on June 25, 1678, became the first woman in the world to receive a doctoral degree from a university. She earned a Doctorate of Philosophy from the University of Padua in Italy.

1876: Battle of the Little Bighorn

The Battle of the Little Bighorn, also known as Custer's Last Stand, was fought on June 25-26, 1876, near the Little Bighorn River in present-day Montana. The conflict was between the US Army's 7th Cavalry Regiment, led by Lieutenant Colonel George Armstrong Custer, and an alliance of Native American tribes, primarily Lakota Sioux and Cheyenne. The Native Americans won a decisive victory, killing Custer and over 200 of his soldiers.

1947: Publication of "The Diary of Anne Frank"

"The Diary of Anne Frank" is a book that documents the experiences of a young Jewish girl, Anne Frank, during World War II. The diary was written while Anne and her family were in hiding from the Nazis in Amsterdam. After they were discovered and arrested, Anne died in the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp at the age of 15. The diary has since become a well-known work of literature and a symbol of the Holocaust.

1950: North Korea invades South Korea, beginning the Korean War

The Korean War began on June 25, 1950, when North Korean forces invaded South Korea. The conflict soon became an international proxy war, with the United States and other Western nations supporting South Korea and China and the Soviet Union supporting North Korea. The war ended in 1953 with the signing of an armistice agreement.

1967: First live global satellite TV program aired

The first live global satellite television program, "Our World," was broadcast on June 25, 1967, by the BBC. The program featured contributions from artists and performers from 19 countries around the world, and was watched by an estimated 400 million people. The Beatles performed their new song "All You Need Is Love" during the broadcast, which has since become an iconic moment in television history.

1910: Premiere of Igor Stravinsky's ballet "The Firebird"

Igor Stravinsky's ballet "The Firebird" premiered on June 25, 1910, in Paris. The work was commissioned by the legendary ballet impresario Sergei Diaghilev for his company, Ballets Russes. The ballet was a huge success and catapulted Stravinsky to fame as a composer.

1993: Female heads of government elected in Canada and Turkey

On June 25, 1993, Kim Campbell became the first female Prime Minister of Canada, and Tansu Çiller became the first female Prime Minister of Turkey. At the time, women in top political positions were still relatively rare around the world.

1929: Construction of the Hoover Dam authorized by US President Herbert Hoover.

In 1929, US President Herbert Hoover authorized the construction of the Hoover Dam on the Colorado River, straddling the border between Arizona and Nevada. The project was intended to provide irrigation water and hydroelectric power to the growing southwestern United States. The dam, which was completed in 1935, is still a major source of power and water for the region today.