On this day, 1835, President Andrew Jackson got real, real lucky...

Philosoraptor

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Wed Jan-30-08 10:49 AM
Original message

On this day, 1835, President Andrew Jackson got real, real lucky...

Edited on Wed Jan-30-08 10:52 AM by Philosoraptor

* The first assassination attempt in American history unfolded on this day in 1835, when Richard Lawrence attempted to murder President Andrew Jackson as the president was leaving a funeral at the Capitol Building. Lawrence's gun misfired, and an angry Jackson retaliated by beating his would-be assassin repeatedly with his walking stick. Lawrence had a second pistol, but the second attempt also misfired. After the harrowing incident was over, Lawrence was committed to a mental institution for the rest of his life. The odds of two guns misfiring consecutively were one in 125,000.

* source, the History Channel daily calendar my wife got me for Christmas.

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hobbit709

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Wed Jan-30-08 10:52 AM
Response to Original message

1. And when the pistols were tested afterwards

they fired perfectly.

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Philosoraptor

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Wed Jan-30-08 10:56 AM
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3. I suspect he was a Jedi master.

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Swamp Rat

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Wed Jan-30-08 11:02 AM
Response to Reply #3

5. LOL!

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Uben

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Wed Jan-30-08 10:53 AM
Response to Original message

2. and also

Andrew Jackson was involved in more duels than any other president. He was either lucky or damn good!

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Philosoraptor

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Wed Jan-30-08 10:57 AM
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4. And THIS is why his face graces our currency and coins.

Source, well, I don't really have a source on that one, but, Jackson doesn't deny it.

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Virginia Dare

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Wed Jan-30-08 11:02 AM
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6. From everything that I have read about Jackson..

and he was a very fascinating character, I believe he probably suffered from PTSD. His family was terrorized and brutalized by the British during the war, and it stayed with him for the rest of his life.

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Poiuyt

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Wed Jan-30-08 11:18 AM
Response to Original message

7. Gandhi not so lucky

He was assassinated on this date in 1948

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