00:00 This podcast episode is about duels throughout history, where men have challenged each other to fights and sometimes died as a result.

04:09 Duels are one-on-one battles that have been around for a long time and are meant to regain honor rather than kill the other person.

08:45 Duels were meant to protect honor and prevent harm, but not death, and the winner had the power to do whatever they wanted to the loser, including killing them or humiliating them, and the Irish Code of dueling was so widespread that it was even included in the midshipman's handbook of the US Navy until 1862.

13:16 In duels, the person who insults first must apologize first, and if a blow is struck, no verbal apology can be accepted, instead the options are either the offender being hit with a cane or exchanging three shots before asking for pardon.

17:40 Duels were not always carried out according to the strict rules, as some participants would agree to shoot into the air instead of aiming at each other, which is what happened in the duel between Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr, resulting in Hamilton's death.

22:26 Duels had specific rules for the role of the second, including loading the guns together and in front of each other, and using smooth bore guns instead of rifles, and if the seconds couldn't come to a resolution, they would exchange shots at the same time and at right angles with their principals, and the duel would be considered over if one person was well-blooded, disabled, disarmed, or if there was a wound and blood was drawn and the aggressor begged pardon.

27:07 Dueling was not just for noblemen, as commoners also engaged in duel-like circumstances, but for nobility, dueling was seen as a way to protect honor, which was tied to their social status and could be easily insulted, and refusing a duel was considered cowardice and could result in the loss of honor and privileges.

31:13 Dueling was a way for individuals to differentiate themselves within their social rank and show that God favored them, and it was also used as a way to settle disputes and get out of obligations or debts.

36:08 Dueling evolved from jousting and gladiatorial combat, and eventually led to the sport of fencing, but with the introduction of firearms, dueling became more accessible to anyone and became a socially accepted pastime in America.

40:18 Dueling began to decline due to opposition from the church and legal bodies, military leaders disliking the loss of able-bodied men, and the realization of the horrors of real combat during the civil war and the First World War, as well as the democratization of dueling to the middle and lower classes.