July 21

On 21 July 1865, in Springfield, Missouri, James "Wild Bill" Hickok faced rival gambler Davis Tutt in a noon showdown. At twenty paces in the town square, the two men drew pistols before a gathered crowd. When Hickok refused Tutt's demand to settle a gambling debt, Tutt fired first but missed. Hickok returned fire with deadly accuracy, striking Tutt in the chest. The dramatic confrontation was hailed as the first true "Western duel" in American frontier lore. It cemented Hickok's reputation as an iconic gunfighter and lawman of the Old West. News of the duel spread quickly, fueling the mythology of frontier violence and honor codes.

On 21 July 1873, Jesse James, Cole Younger, and other members of the James–Younger Gang halted a Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad train near Adair, Iowa. Under cover of darkness, they signaled the engineer with a lantern and stopped the locomotive. The outlaws disabled telegraph lines and forced the crew to open the safe containing cash and valuables. Fearing violence, passengers and workers complied without resistance, allowing the gang to escape unscathed. The robbery netted thousands of dollars and astonished the nation as the first of its kind in the Old West. The bold crime cemented the gang’s reputation and prompted railroads to modernize security measures. This event heralded a new era of daring outlaw exploits on America’s expanding rail network.