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”Both General Hamilton and Colonel Burr exerted themselves personally at the polls during the three days of election They repeatedly addressed the people, and did all that men
could do. They frequently met at the same polls, and argued, in the presence of large assemblages, the debatable questions. Their deportment towards each other and towards their opponents was such as comported with the dignity of two of the most accomplished and courtly gentlemen of the age in which they lived.Matthew Davis, The Memoirs of Aaron Burr.
I want everyone to, for a moment, imagine seeing Burr and Hamilton arguing in the streets with each other—and being dapper about it. Let it sink in.
(via aaronburrssexdungeon)
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On July 11, 1804, Alexander Hamilton dueled the vice president, Aaron Burr … and lost. Ron Chernow gives us the scene:
Fanned by a light morning breeze, Hamilton and Burr now assumed sideways poses, presenting the slim silhouettes preferred by duelists. The sun was rising fast, and when Pendleton asked if they were ready, Hamilton, unnerved by light bouncing off the river, called out, “Stop. In certain states of the light one requires glasses.” He lifted his pistol and took several sightings, something that might have misled Burr about his intentions. Then he fished in his pocket for spectacles, put them on with one hand, and aimed the pistol in several directions. Burr and Van Ness later made much of the fact that Hamilton aimed the pistol once or twice at Burr. “This will do,” Hamilton finally said, apologizing for the delay. “Now you may proceed.” That Hamilton put on his glasses has been given a sinister meaning by some commentators, but he may have wanted to ensure that he didn’t hit Burr. We also know that he had not ruled out firing accurately on a second round.
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In October of 1864, a bunch of Confederate men raided three banks in the small town of St. Albans, Vermont. They fled across the border to Canada with $208,000 (about $3.2 million today). It was the northernmost action of the American Civil War.
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London — American actor Clint Eastwood finds himself at the mercy of three gun-toting gals upon his arrival at London Airport to promote his latest film. From left to right, the bare-legged banditos are Sandra Marshall, Anita McGregor and Susan Melody. (1967)
