On a recent episode of “Jeopardy!,” contestants faced several challenging moments, but none more surprising than when all three players failed to identify Andrew Jackson in a question about a deadly 1806 duel. The moment left viewers at home particularly vocal about their frustration with the triple stumper.
The episode featured returning champion Ashley Chan, a publicist from Lewisville, Texas, competing against Carla Winston, a political scientist from Baltimore, Maryland, and Ram Murali, a writer originally from London, England. During the first round, a category titled “People In History” proved particularly challenging for all three contestants.
The $400 clue that stumped all three players read: “An 1806 duel involving this future president resulted in the death of Charles Dickinson.” Host Ken Jennings ultimately had to reveal the answer: Andrew Jackson
The historical context behind the clue reveals a significant event in American political history. The 1806 duel took place in Adairville, Kentucky, stemming from a dispute over a horse race and personal insults about Jackson’s wife, Rachel. Dickinson, a Nashville attorney and noted marksman, fired first and struck Jackson in the chest. Despite the serious wound, Jackson managed to re-cock his weapon and fatally shoot Dickinson. The wound would cause Jackson chronic pain for the remainder of his life.
One fan expressed disbelief on the “Jeopardy!” Reddit forum, writing, “Surprised nobody got the Andrew Jackson clue.”
Another viewer posted on X, “Jeopardy contests should go with Andrew Jackson if there’s a clue about a President killing someone face-to-face.”
The duel with Dickinson was one of two documented duels in which Jackson participated as a principal combatant. His first duel in 1788 with Avery Waightstill ended peacefully, with both men firing into the air. While Jackson’s reputation as a frequent duelist has been exaggerated over time, the deadly encounter with Dickinson did temporarily damage his public image.
Despite the controversy surrounding the duel, Jackson faced no legal consequences. Twenty-three years later, he would go on to win the presidency in 1829. The practice of dueling, while technically illegal, remained common among political figures of the era, particularly in the American South, until falling out of favor around the time of the Civil War.
In the episode, Chan managed to recover from the early stumble, accumulating $7,600 by the end of the first round. She maintained her lead throughout the game, though the final outcome remained uncertain until the “Final Jeopardy!” round. While only Winston correctly answered the final clue, Chan’s conservative wager allowed her to secure her second consecutive victory.