Today in History 07/11 (Burr-Hamilton Duel)

Drawing depicting Alexander Hamilton being fatally wounded during a duel with Aaron Burr in Weehawken, NJ, on July 11, 1804 (© Kean Collection/Getty Images)(1804) Political rivals meet in a deadly duel
US Vice President Aaron Burr and former Treasury Secretary Alexander Hamilton arrive at New Jersey’s Palisades and proceed with a pistol duel after years of public rivalry. Hamilton fires into the air, but Burr shoots directly at Hamilton, felling him with a fatal bullet.
The Burr–Hamilton duel was fought between prominent American politicians Aaron Burr, the sitting Vice President of the United States, and Alexander Hamilton, the former Secretary of the Treasury, at Weehawken, New Jersey on July 11, 1804, and was the culmination of a long and bitter rivalry between the two men. Hamilton shot first, only to miss and hit a tree directly behind Burr, who then responded by shooting and mortally wounding Hamilton, who was carried to the home of William Bayard Jr. where he died the next day.
Date: Jul 11, 1804
Location: Weehawken, New Jersey, U.S.
Target: Alexander Hamilton, Aaron Burr
Attack type: Duel
Deaths: 1 (Hamilton)
Weapons: Wogdon pistols

Hamilton-Burr pistols
wiki/Burr–Hamilton_duel
4.12.j18

(1804) Political rivals meet in a deadly duel.
Also on this day,

1859 | Big Ben chimes for the first time
After the Great Clock of Westminster’s first bell cracks during testing, a second one called Big Ben is installed, ringing this day in London for the first time. The new bell will also crack that September and take several years to repair.
1960 | Readers meet Scout, Jem, Boo, and Atticus
A semi-autobiographical tale of small-town racial prejudice is released, with the publisher warning the author that it likely won’t sell well. Harper Lee’s ‘To Kill A Mockingbird’ will go on to sell millions, introducing the world to Atticus Finch and his extraordinary fight for justice.
1972 | US and Soviet masters meet in Cold War chess clash
Soviet players have had a lock on the World Chess Championships for 24 years, and their grandmaster Boris Spassky now meets American phenom Bobby Fischer for the ‘Match of the Century’ in Reykjavík, Iceland. What follows will be deemed by many the greatest chess competition in history.

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