En garde!

Alexandre Dumas, 23, fought his first duel on this day in 1825. He escaped serious injury although he made have been embarrassed when his pants fell down during the duel. Dumas used the experience many years when he wrote "The Three Musketeers" and "The Count of Monte Cristo." His final novel, "The Last Cavalier," was left unfinished for 135 years before a scholar finished it in 2005.