On this day...

On this day in 1804, the most famous duel in American history happened. Vice-president Aaron Burr and former Secretary of the Treasury Alexander Hamilton exchanged pistol shots in New Jersey. The confrontation started at a dinner party the two men were at, Mr. Hamilton had been discrediting the Vice-president while he was running for Governor of New York against a family member of Hamilton's. There were only two witnesses to the duel in which Hamilton was fatally wounded and died the next day. The intentions of the two men are disputed to this day. Monuments of the duel exist in New Jersey today although the originals, must consisting of busts of Hamilton, have been vandalized since 1841. This duel was fought at a time when dueling was being outlawed in the northern US.