On October 26th, 1881, one of the most defining moments in the history of the American West took place.

A shootout between nine men defined the popular perception of what the Old West was about, even though it was actually a very atypical event.

And since then, this gunfight has become legendary, having been the subject of songs, books, and movies. Learn more about the gunfight at the OK Corral, the most famous shootout in the Wild West, on this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily. Book your ticket to happiness with Sun Express Airlines. The gunfight at the okay crowd is one of the best known incidents from the Wild West,

yet it's still one that is grossly misunderstood.

The depictions of it, which can often be seen in movies, usually portray it as a story of good guys

versus bad guys. Moreover because it's one of the only actual cases of a large-scale

midday shootout in the West it's been extrapolated to a great many fictional Westerns.

But let's get into the details of the story.

The event took place in the town of Tombstone, Arizona, and the name Tombstone probably adds to the mythos of the story.

Tombstone is located only about 30 miles north of the Mexican border, and it was founded in

1879 when silver was discovered in the area.

However, the town grew rapidly, going

from nothing in 1879 to a population of 7,000 by 1881. It was one of the last

boom towns of the era and at the time it was the largest

boom town in the southwest United States. Tombstone was overwhelmingly

populated with men who were looking to make their fortune. While the town had a few banks and churches, a school,

and even an ice cream parlor,

it had 110 saloons, 14 gambling halls,

and dozens of brothels. Crime was high as cattle rustlers and bandits came to town

and it became a center for smuggling alcohol and tobacco into Mexico. So just

to summarize, Tombstone was a rapidly growing town with lots of men, lots of booze, and a fair amount of crime.

Into this environment in 1879 came the Earp Brothers, James, Virgil, and Wyatt.

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