Alexander Hamilton: R.I.P.

A moment of silence please.......

Alright, now onto business......Why did we do a moment of silence you ask? Well, I'm glad you did! Today, I will be honoring a truly great historical figure. A man who helped shape our country into what it is today. That man is none other than......

"Me?!?!?!?"

No, LeBron, it still isn't, and probably never will be you. I'm referring to the one and only Alexander Hamilton. The first Secretary of the Treasury.

The man. The myth. The Legend

Why Hamilton you ask? Well, that's easy. Today is the anniversary of his death.

I know very sad. On this day in 1804, Alexander Hamilton died from wounds he received while participating in a duel the previous day with his long time rival, Vice-President Aaron Burr.

Boo!

As weird as it might seem, people were in fact actually named Aaron that long ago. And yes, duels were a common part of life. At least for the true gentlemen. The root of their duel was, well, slightly ridiculous.

The two men hated each other. It started when Burr defeated Hamilton's father-in-law in the New York senate race. But it really picked up during the heated 1804 New York gubernatorial election, where Burr (running despite the fact he was VP), lost to Morgan Lewis, the candidate supported by Hamilton.

Winning!

Anyway, Hamilton and Burr had engaged in many heated exchanges, which continued after the election. Their feud came to a head at a dinner party, where Burr felt Hamilton had slighted him. The mood was so awkward at the table, even Gordon Ramsey would have felt uncomfortable.

And that's saying a lot.

With all other reasonable avenues exhausted, the two agreed to a duel. How else were two gentlemen supposed to solve their differences?

I don't know about you, but this would have solved any issues I have with a person.

Unfortunately, such was not the case for our bff's Hamilton and Burr. They needed to duel, and duel they did. At dawn on July 11th, they met on the banks of the Hudson River in New Jersey to settle their score. Each was armed with a flintlock pistol, and a backwards sense of honor. According to the accepted practice, they should have fired a warning shot at each other, just to prove they were both man enough to accept the duel, and die if necessary. No one was actually supposed to get hurt.

Shooting first, Hamilton's shot sailed directly over Burr's head, almost striking him. Unfortunately for Hamilton, he wasn't a very good shot.  He probably would have been the first person eliminated from Top Shot.

"Sorry, Alexander. You have fired your last shot in this life."

While he was aiming to miss, he barley missed, prompting Burr to think he was shooting to kill. In response, Burr aimed directly at Hamilton and fired.......and hit! Right in the ribs!

"Oh yeah!"

So Hamilton was rushed to get medical attention, although it didn't do him any good, as he died the next day. Burr was never convicted of murder, and was allowed to finish his term as vice president. The Burr-Hamilton duel remains one of the oddest events in American history. To have two high profile political figures participate in such an event is flabbergasting to most modern people. It would be like Joe Biden and Rand Paul taking shots at each other. Not with words, with bullets. But that's how it was back then, and if there's one thing you should never do, its apply modern logic to old events. It's like pounding your head against a brick wall. I'm not saying it's OK, it's just how it was.

And so was the death of Alexander Hamilton. He died 209 years ago today, but he is not forgotten.

Rest in peace buddy.




P.S.: Have you ever noticed how certain people always refer to money as being "dead presidents"? Well, Hamilton thankfully disproves that atrocious statement.

Take note: Not a President