Gunfight at O.K. Corral: Lawmen Meet Outlaws in Legend
The gunfight happened on October 26, 1881, in a vacant lot next to C.S. Fly's Photography Studio in Tombstone, Arizona, not at the O.K. Corral itself. The combatants stood six feet apart. Virgil Earp, the town marshal, had attempted to disarm Ike Clanton and the McLaury brothers under Tombstone's weapons ordinance. Roughly 30 shots were fired in 30 seconds. Billy Clanton and both McLaury brothers were killed. Virgil and Morgan Earp were wounded. Wyatt Earp was untouched. Doc Holliday was grazed. The fight was largely forgotten for 50 years until Stuart Lake published a mostly fictional biography of Wyatt Earp in 1931. Depression-era readers craved frontier heroes. Hollywood obliged with dozens of films. The real gunfight was a messy small-town feud over politics, mining claims, and cattle theft.
October 26, 1881
145 years ago
What Else Happened on October 26
Roman soldiers arrested Demetrius during Emperor Diocletian's persecution of Christians. He was a deacon in Thessaloniki, secretly baptizing converts. They lock…
The earthquake hit Constantinople at dawn. The city walls cracked. The aqueduct collapsed. Thousands died in their homes. Emperor Leo III was in the palace when…
The brothers Asen and Peter launched their rebellion against Byzantine rule during the feast of St. Demetrius, cleverly using the saint's celebration to rally l…
John VI Kantakouzenos proclaimed himself Byzantine Emperor at Didymoteicho, starting a six-year civil war. Emperor Andronikos III had just died. His son was nin…
Tvrtko I crowned himself king of Bosnia on October 26, 1377 in a monastery near his capital. He claimed descent from Serbian royalty that didn't exist. The crow…
Charles V's coronation in 1520 made him Holy Roman Emperor at 20. He already ruled Spain, the Netherlands, Austria, Naples, and most of the Americas. His empire…
Talk to History
Have a conversation with historical figures who witnessed this era. Ask questions, explore perspectives, and bring history to life.