Georgia prospector John H. Gregory found a substantial gold deposit on the north fork of Clear Creek in Colorado. The area quickly became the most profitable Colorado diggings yet found and would prove to be one of the richest in the world. Gregory, from Gordon County, Georgia, profited little as he sold the claim soon after for $22,000. (By John Osborne)

David S. Terry, recently defeated for re-election as Chief Justice of California, had fought a duel with fellow Democrat David C. Broderick just outside San Francisco three days before. Terry had argued with the sitting U.S. Senator, who had opposed him in the election due to Terry's views on extending slavery to California.  Shot through the right lung, Broderick died of his injuries. Just over forty years later, Terry also died by gunfire, when he attacked U.S. Supreme Court Justice Stephen Field at a California railway station over a court case and was killed by Field's U.S. Marshal bodyguard. (By John Osborne)

David S. Terry, recently defeated for re-election as Chief Justice of California, fought a duel with fellow Democrat David C. Broderick just outside San Francisco. Terry had argued with the sitting U.S. Senator, who had opposed him in the election due to his views on extending slavery to California, and the exchanges had escalated into an exchange of pistol fire in which Broderick was wounded. Shot through the right lung, Broderick died of his wound three days later. (By John Osborne)

The San Juan Islands, between Vancouver Island and the mainland, were in an area the Anglo-American Treaty of 1846 had not clearly demarcated.  They had attracted both British and American settlers and an altercation over a pig saw a sixty man U.S. Army occupation of the main island commanded by Captain George Picket. In response, a Royal Naval task force landed Royal Marines on another part of the island. Tensions were reduced as cooler heads prevailed. The islands settled down to several decades of shared sovereignty and token military garrisons. Eventually Britain ceded the San Juan Islands to the United States and retained the neighboring Gulf Islands. (By John Osborne)
 

By 1859, the islands off Vancouver had attracted both British and American settlers. An altercation over the death of a pig saw a sixty man U.S. Army occupation of the main island in July, commanded by Captain George Picket. In response, Royal Marines were landed on another part of the island. Tensions were high for a time but were reduced as cooler heads prevailed. The so-called "Pig War" had no other casualties than the pig and the islands settled down to several decades of shared sovereignty. Eventually Britain ceded the San Juan Islands to the United States and retained the neighboring Gulf Islands. (By John Osborne)