05/29/2026
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Jeopardy! host Ken Jennings shared a sharp historical joke this week while traveling through South Dakota, posting to Instagram:
“I’m about to do what George Custer never did: leave South Dakota.”
The comment quickly caught attention online for its dark humor and historical reference to Lt. Col. George Armstrong Custer, who died in 1876 during the Battle of the Little Bighorn after leading U.S. cavalry forces against a coalition of Lakota, Northern Cheyenne, and Arapaho warriors.
The battle remains one of the most discussed moments in American history. For many Indigenous communities, it represents resistance, survival, and the defense of homelands against military expansion into treaty territories. Leaders including Sitting Bull, Crazy Horse, Gall, and many others played major roles in the victory over Custer’s forces.
Jennings’ post sparked mixed reactions online, with many viewers finding the joke unexpectedly funny while others pointed out the deeper historical weight connected to the battle and its aftermath for Indigenous nations.
More than a century later, Little Bighorn still carries different meanings depending on who is telling the story. For decades, mainstream history often centered Custer himself, while Indigenous perspectives and oral histories received far less attention. In recent years, there has been growing interest in retelling the event through Native voices and historical context.
The battlefield site itself was officially renamed Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument in 1991, replacing the older “Custer Battlefield” designation and recognizing the Native warriors who fought there.
Do you think modern discussions about historical events are finally becoming more balanced by including Indigenous perspectives and oral histories?
