1796 -- The British ceded the territory that would one day become Detroit to the United States under the Jay Treaty. [Think they'd consider taking it back?]

1804 -- Alexander Hamilton is mortally wounded in a duel with the then vice-president Aaron Burr. Hamilton would die the next day. For reasons that are still not understood, Hamilton fired his weapon into the air. It is not known if Hamilton was intending to throw away his fire [i.e. back out of the duel] or whether the shot was a misfire.