American politician Aaron Burr (1756 – 1836) fatally wounds Alexander Hamilton (1757 – 1804) with a shot from his pistol during a duel in Weehawken, New Jersey, July 11, 1804. Former Secretary of the Treasury Hamilton and Burr, who served as Vice President under Thomas Jefferson, were personal and political rivals for several decades, from Burr’s 1791 defeat of Hamilton’s uncle for a seat in the US Senate to Hamilton’s 1804 public slandering of Burr’s character at a political dinner. When Hamilton refused to recant his injurious statements, Burr challenged him to the fatal duel. (Photo by Kean Collection/Getty Images)