Trivia Junction

A Compendium of trivia I find interesting
...for the curious

First insanity defense

Civil War Gen. Daniel Sickles was well-known for his eccentric behavior. At the Battle of Gettysburg, his right leg was mangled by a 12-pound Confederate cannonball and was amputated.

After the war, Sickles frequently visited his amputated leg, which was donated to the Medical Museum, now the National Museum of Health and Medicine.

But Sickles' greater claim to eccentric fame came after he shot and killed Philip Barton Key, the son of Francis Scott Key, writer of “The Star-Spangled Banner.” Sickles killed the younger Key after discovering him having an affair with his wife. He made legal history as the first American to be acquitted on a plea of temporary insanity.

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