Alexander Nisbet (died 1872)

In 1838, on February 24th, Representatives William J. Graves (Kentucky) and Jonathan Cilley (Maine) fought a duel with rifles. They faced off at 94 yards. Cilley was hit on Graves' third try - in the femoral artery - and bled to death on the dueling field. The Panic of 1837 and Jackson's presidency had caused an extremely partisan Congress and the duel was a result.

In 1849, on April 22nd, Patrick Kennedy - great-grandfather of President John Kennedy - arrived in the United States. He was the 3rd born son of an Irish farmer and he knew that he wouldn't be given the chance to run the family farm. So he emigrated to Massachusetts and became a cooper. After only 10 years in the US, he died of cholera at age 35.

In 1854, on January 6th, Sherlock Holmes was born. Author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle created the character who has endured in popularity for over 160 years. The first Holmes book was published in 1887.

In 1869, on March 4th, Ulysses S. Grant became the 18th President of the United States. Previously a Union General, Grant beat the Democrat candidate, Horatio Seymour, 52.7% to 47.3% in the general vote.

In 1872, in the year of Alexander Nisbet's passing, on December 4th, the empty American ship Mary Celeste was found in the Atlantic Ocean. Still seaworthy, under partial sail, and with one lifeboat missing, what happened on her is still a mystery. Her cargo and provisions were intact and she was used as a cargo vessel for another 12 years but the people onboard were never seen again