19 Items Tagged

Duels

This image depicts a 1288 judicial duel in Bern, Switzerland, the only recorded instance of a man and woman fighting in a trial by combat: The woman ultimately emerged victorious.

Why Medieval Women Sometimes Fought in Bloody Trials by Combat

In cases of rape and sexual violence, women had few other avenues for seeking justice.

Asia London Palomba August 23, 2024

Podcast: Pushkin’s Duel

How a real-life confrontation seemed to mirror a literary masterpiece.

The Podcast Team February 15, 2023

Dueling Lane

In addition to escorting prospective couples to and from ballrooms, this lane was also a place for gentlemen to settle scores.

Podcast: Bloody Island

Join us for a daily celebration of the world’s most wondrous, unexpected, even strange places.

The Podcast Team April 21, 2022

The duel between Miyamoto Musashi and Sasaki Kojiro.

Shimonoseki, Japan

Ganryū-jima

The site of a famous samurai duel.

Saint Petersburg, Russia

Literary Café

Once frequented by heavyweights of the Russian arts scene, this café is stuck in the 1800s.

The markers are 10 paces apart.

Daly City, California

Broderick-Terry Duel Site

Two pillars set 10 paces apart commemorate the "last notable American duel."

Washington, D.C.

Churchill and Mandela Call and Response

When it comes to handsignals (and colonialism) rock always beats scissors.

You can also use swords. Or words. Use your words.

It Might Soon Be Legal to Challenge Someone to a Duel in Canada

Be careful out there.

Erik Shilling June 9, 2017

The woman who would be known as Cherubina de Gabriak.

The Russian Poetry Scandal That Ended in a Duel

Remembering the Cherubina de Gabriak hoax of 1909.

Eric Grundhauser March 17, 2017

Saints Justus and Pastor... or Castor and Pollux?

Barcelona, Spain

Basilica of Saints Justus and Pastor

Possibly the oldest church in Barcelona, this basilica has its pagan and Christian mythologies all mixed up.

Dueling grounds.

Colmar Manor, Maryland

Bladensburg Dueling Grounds

Politicians, bureaucrats, and military officers gathered in this field near the Capitol to settle their disputes with blood.

Weehawken, New Jersey

Weehawken Dueling Grounds

The boulder on which Alexander Hamilton laid his head after a deadly duel can still be visited on the New Jersey coast.

A recreation of a duel's aftermath, by photographer Katharine Sheward Stanbery and circa 1900.

The Long Quest to Get Southerners to Stop Dueling

To convince gentlemen to holster their pistols, legislators had to turn dueling into social suicide.

Cara Giaimo April 8, 2016

The Pair of American Politicians Who Fought the 19th Century's Silliest Duel

Andrew Madigan January 8, 2016

Unusual Duels Vol. 4: The Balloonists

Dylan Thuras May 1, 2015

Unusual Duels Vol. 3: Melfant Vs. Lenfant

Dylan Thuras April 30, 2015

Unusual Duels Vol 2: The Captain vs. The Creole

Dylan Thuras April 29, 2015