On this day in 1876, James Butler “Wild Bill” Hickok was shot in the back and killed while playing cards in a saloon in Deadwood, in what became South Dakota. He was holding two aces and two eights, clubs and spades, a combination which subsequently became known as Dead’s Man Hand.

Born in Illinois in 1837, Hickok joined the Union Army during the Civil War as a scout.  His father had played a part in the Underground Railroad.

Hickok was, at times, a constable, a professional gambler, a quick-draw gunfighter and a sheriff. He toured with Buffalo Bill Cody and his Wild West Show and later teamed up with Calamity Jane. He is said to have killed more than 100 men.