Sometimes events that take only a few seconds become etched in the mythology of the Wild West.
So it was on a cold October afternoon in 1881 in Tombstone. Four men in long black coats — Marshal Virgil Earp with brothers Wyatt and Morgan and their friend Doc Holliday — strode towards a vacant lot behind the O.K. Corral. Here there were six members of the Clanton-McLaury gang waiting for them and in the ensuing half minute, thirty shots were fired. When it was over, Billy Clanton and the McLaury brothers were dead and Virgil, Morgan, and Doc were wounded.
You can still visit the site of the gunfight at OK Corral. There are eight life-sized figures of the gunfighters situated on a map drawn by Wyatt Earp. A reenactment of the fight is held nearby several times a day.
A number of films have been made about this event, including a classic featuring Burt Lancaster and Kirk Douglas.