Saturday, July 11, 2009

Spotlight
There was a time when the honorable way to settle a quarrel was to challenge the opposing party to a duel. In medieval Europe, a judge might order two parties to settle their differences by dueling, with the assumption that the victorious side was the virtuous one. Later, matters of honor were put to the test, with the offended individual challenging the other to a fight. In order to maintain his honor, the offending individual had to accept the challenge. Weapons, a venue and time would be decided and the duel would take place. Since, supposedly, only gentlemen could have their honor called into question, usually only gentlemen participated in duels. Heads of state, nobility and officers in the military were most noted for participating in these fights. On this date in 1804, America's most notorious duel took place between US vice president Aaron Burr and his political rival, Alexander Hamilton. Hamilton was mortally wounded; he died the following day.

Quote
"I love the name of honor, more than I fear death." — Julius Caesar

Question of the Day
Name the only president to have fought a duel?
Before he became President, Andrew Jackson participated in many duels. The only time he killed a man was in 1806, when he shot and killed Charles Dickinson, another noted duelist. Dickinson shot first and hit Jackson in his chest. As he reloaded his gun, Jackson returned fire, and Dickinson fell. The bullet that wounded Jackson was too close to his heart to be removed.

In 1813, Jackson also was the target of a gunfight in the streets of Nashville with the Benton Brothers, Thomas and Jesse. The fight was with Thomas, but when Jackson had him backed into a corner, Jesse shot at him twice and one of the slugs hit Jackson in the shoulder. Jackson survived, but the slug was only removed some twenty years later.

Word of the day
denim

1. a. A coarse twilled cloth, usually cotton, used for jeans, overalls, and work uniforms.
 b. denims Trousers or another garment made of this cloth.
2. A similar but finer fabric used in draperies and upholstery.

[French (serge) de Nimes, (serge) of Nimes, after NiMES, France.]
(© Houghton Mifflin Company)

Today's History

W.E.B. Du Bois

• Niagara Movement: W.E.B. Du Bois and other African-Americans united to call for an end to racial discrimination (1905)
• Skylab: after six years in space, the space station reentered Earth's atmosphere (1979)
• Mumbai train bombings: seven blasts set off in pressure cookers took more than 200 lives (2006)

Today's Birthdays

E.B. White

• Robert, the Bruce (1274-1329): king of an independent Scotland
• John Quincy Adams (1767-1848): POTUS, sec'y of state, and architect of the Monroe Doctrine
• James McNeill Whistler (1834-1903): portraitist
• E.B. White (1899-1985): literary stylist who revised William Strunk's Elements of Style and wrote Charlotte's Web; editor Thomas Bowdler (1754-1825) shared this birth date
• Suzanne Vega (50): singer/songwriter, "Luka"; other musicians born on this date include Kirk Whalum (51), Richie Sambora (50) and Lil' Kim (34)
• Justin Chambers (39): Alex Karev on Grey's Anatomy; also, actors Yul Brynner (1920-1985), Susan Seaforth Hayes (66), Bruce McGill (59), Stephen Lang (57), Sela Ward (53), Lisa Rinna (46), Greg Grunberg (43) and Michael Rosenbaum (37)