On this day 166 years ago...

John Henry "Doc" Holliday, Wild West gunman, was born in Georgia. His adult life started out in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where he was trained as a dentist in 1872. He opened a short-lived dental practice in Georgia, but quickly abandoned it after being diagnosed with tuberculosis. His mother succumbed to TB during his teenage years, and, not wanting to meet a similar fate, he headed to the Southwest hoping for better air and better health. During his travels, Holliday met Wyatt Earp and an instant friendship formed. They were gamblers and outlaws, and lived a wild west life around the Southwestern United States. Their adventures included many shootouts, including an infamous one at the OK-Corral. During that particular fight, several men were killed and several were wounded including Holliday. When Wyatt Earp’s brother, Morgan Earp, was killed, a feud began between Wyatt Earp and his brother’s killers. Doc Holliday and Wyatt Earp rode for years in the name of this feud killing many people along the way. Doc Holiday succumbed to TB in a hotel in Glenwood, Colorado on November 8, 1887.