The Duelists: Andrew Jackson

Andrew Jackson lived from seventeen sixty-seven until eighteen forty-five and he was a politician of the United States. He was also prisoner-of-war, saddle-maker, lawyer, and seventh President of the United States.

While a slave-owning cotton farmer, and already a former jurist and U.S. Senator, Andrew Jackson's honour was offended by Charles Dickinson, expert marksman and professional duelist whose record numbered twenty-six kills. Consequently, Jackson shot Dickinson, placing a .70-caliber bullet in Dickinson's abdomen and severing an artery, in a return volley after having already taken one ball in the ribs. Jackson had planned for Dickinson to fire first. Andrew Jackson fired true and he had his satisfaction that day. Charles Dickinson died a few hours later. Dickinson had insulted his wife, at the prompt of Jackson's political opponents. Jackson had fought thirteen such duels. Dickinson's bullet remained lodged close to his heart for the rest of his days.

The year was 1806.

Weekly Wikipedia Find: Dieter Dengler

I wish I was coming upon these entries more randomly (as was my original mandate), instead of featuring some entries that I've actively gone to Wikipedia to look up (i.e. weeks 5,6,13,14,15,16), but we make do with what we have.

Dieter Dengler, former US Navy pilot and Vietnam War POW (actually by the Pathet Leo in Laos), famous (in media) from Werner Herzog's documentary Little Dieter Needs to Fly and film Rescue Dawn. I came to him by way of Herzog, the latter of which I watched the other day with Christian Bale as the man. Films being films, inspired/based or not, I went to Wikipedia for the true details. Truth by Wikipedia™.

Either way, there was one particular thing in Dieter's entry, something that undoubtedly aided in his time spent as a Prisoner of War:

Dengler had a reputation from his experiences at the Navy survival school, where he had escaped from the mock-POW camp run by Marine guards three times. He had also set a record as the only student to actually gain weight during the course - his childhood experiences made him unafraid of eating whatever he could find and he had feasted on garbage.

It takes a special brand of hero to gain weight during prisoner-of-war survival training.

In conclusion, I like saying "little Dieter needs to fly" in a faux-German accent. A lot.

Wikipedia by Week

Week Sixteen: New Jerusalem
Week Fifteen: Technological Singularity
Week Fourteen: Numbers Station
Week Thirteen: Culper Ring
Week Twelve: Mary Sue
Week Eleven: Byford dolphin diving bell accident
Week Ten: Deep-sea gigantism
Week Nine: Bloop
Week Eight: Rat king
Week Seven: Gustave Doré
Week Six: Tomorrow
Week Five: Borscht Belt
Week Four: Swampman
Week Three: Chinese room
Week Two: Ambrose Burnside
Week One: Lolita fashion