Facts We Just Learned About The Wild West That Made Us Say 'Really?'

From Redditor u/b1g_n0se: TIL the "Cowboy Load" - in the Wild West - it was most common for six-shot revolvers to only be loaded with five rounds. A live bullet in the chamber below the hammer of a 19th century single-action revolver can be set off with a sharp knock, hence it was not desirable to carry one fully loaded. Context: Most revolvers from the 19th century had six chambers, but most cowboys loaded only five shells, called a "cowboy load," because firearms didn't have safety measures yet, and the hammer was a little finicky and could fire if the piece was jostled incorrectly. To save themselves, their horses, or the people around them, most cowboys kept the hammer on the empty chamber to stop any possible misfires.

From Redditor u/deanoplex: TIL Cowboy boots are designed for safety. The high heel prevents your foot from sliding through the stirrups, trapping your foot. But if [the heel does slide through] and you fall off the horse, the lack of laces allows your foot to slide out of the boot, preventing you from being dragged by the horse. Context: Cowboy boot design does seem to have originated with cowboys' safety in mind - namely, for when they're seated upon horses. The pointed toes made it easier for cowboys to put their feet in the stirrups; the raised heel kept the feet in the stirrup; the high ankles kept cowboys' calves safe from animals and plants; and the lack of laces prevented cowboys from getting caught on the stirrups after dismounting from, or falling off, a horse.

From Redditor u/KayBeeToys: TIL one of the few actual quick-draw duels in the Old West occurred on July 21, 1865, between Wild Bill Hickok and Davis Tutt. Despite the popular perception of lawlessness in the Old West, Hickok was tried for manslaughter after winning the duel. Context: In what is reported as the first quick duel of the Wild West era, Bill Hickok and Davis Tuss went toe-to-toe over a gambling debt. Tutt reportedly missed his first shot, but was hit in the chest with Hickok's bullet and perished. After the duel, Hickok was tried for manslaughter. He was ultimately acquitted, as the gambling debt was deemed an appropriate reason to resort to firearms.

From Redditor u/Murba: TIL of Wild West robber Black Bart, who was noted for his polite, chivalrous attitude. In one instance, when robbing a Wells Fargo stagecoach, he refused to take a woman's purse, opting instead to just take the company's money. Context: Black Bart tried to make his fortune mining in California, but when he couldn't strike gold, he took to the life of an outlaw, and began robbing Wells Fargo wagons. In less than a decade on the wrong side of the law, Black Bart allegedly took roughly $18,000 before being captured. Although he pled guilty to theft, he reportedly never robbed any of the passengers on board the stagecoaches, and took money only from the banks those coaches belonged to.

From Redditor u/Cookiemonstermash: TIL One in four cowboys in the Old West were African American. Context: In Texas, it's assumed, based on new estimates, that about one in every four cowboys was Black. These "Forgotten Cowboys" were often forced to do some of the more back-breaking work, like taming horses and getting them ready to ride every morning. Forgotten Cowboys were also enlisted to cross rivers first while moving cattle to assess the feasibility of trails.

From Redditor u/Fast_Hands: TIL The Wild West only lasted around 30 years. Context: The Wild West era started around 1865. By around 1895, it had evolved from everything we believe the period to be about, putting the overall timeframe for this era at about three decades.

From Redditor u/Alieneater: TIL that gamblers in the Old West were rarely playing poker, despite representations in films, games, and other media. A card game called "faro" was the most popular form of gambling in the US until the early 1900s. Context: Gamblers in many depictions of the Wild West are most often seen playing poker - but that does appear to be misleading. While there was a known card game most believe evolved into modern poker, the game most frequently played at the card table was called faro.

From Redditor u/GravyWagon: TIL - Bank heists almost never happened in the Wild West days, no matter how much Hollywood tries to make us believe Context: Bank heists are frequently shown in cinematic depictions of the Wild West, but they were rare. Researchers have found that only a handful took place during this era's 30-year period. To put that in perspective, more bank robberies happen in a single year in Dayton, OH, today than happened during the entire Wild West era.

From a former Redditor: TIL that the Wild West had better gun control than the modern United States. Context: Although the Wild West has historically been seen as a land of lawless gun-wielding, the reality was far different. Cowboys and other civilians did carry firearms with them for protection in the vast wilderness, but when entering many towns, they were actually required to check their weapons into the police station and received a check for doing so. Cities apparently did have stricter gun laws during the Wild West era than most of the country does today.

From Redditor u/Anthony_Louis168: TIL that the Wild West was ended by the invention of barbed wire. It was a cheap and efficient way to contain cattle and thus ended the need for cowboys. Context: The Wild West wasn't specifically ended by barbed wire, but it's difficult to argue against the impact the invention had on "cowboy" as a viable occupation. Barbed wire created confined spaces, limiting the grounds cattle could roam, and therefore lessened the need for cowboys. Researchers argue that the devastating winter of 1886-87 was the real beginning of the end for the cowboy era, as many cattle lost their lives due to freezing temperatures in the West.

From Redditor u/harekrishnahareram: TIL gunslingers of the Wild West is pop culture fiction. Context: Gunslingers as they have been portrayed in movies and shows are mostly historically inaccurate. Such showdowns were nowhere near as common in the real Wild West as movies might have us believe. Perhaps even more surprisingly, gunslingers weren't even referred to as gunslingers until about 50 years later; at the time, they were dubbed "shootists."

From a former Redditor: TIL, the traditional cowboy look arose from Mexican vaqueros, and the word "buckaroo" came about as a mispronunciation of the word "vaquero." Context: "Buckaroo" is often used in renditions of the Wild West, but the etymology of the word has an interesting background. Because so many cowboys were of Mexican descent, the word "vaquero" - which is Spanish for "cowboy" - was used frequently. Because the "v" in vaquero is correctly pronounced as a "b," it's not surprising that the Spanish word was easily mispronounced by those not well-versed in Spanish. The word that came out of it was "buckaroo."

From Redditor u/gargeug: TIL the Texas Rangers of the Old West still operate today, and are the oldest state law enforcement agency in the US... formed in 1835. Context: The Texas Rangers are the oldest state law enforcement agency in North America. To be a Ranger in the 19th century, candidates needed to be comfortable in any situation without direct instructions from their superior. The Texas Rangers are still in operation today, selected from members of the Department of Public Safety.

From Redditor u/osp254: TIL Old West saloon bartenders hung towels on the bar so that imbibers could wipe the beer foam off their mouths. They were “community towels.” Context: Towels found at bars today have evolved from their saloon-era predecessors - and have a different use. In the Wild West, they were used as community towels by patrons to wipe foam from their mouths, whereas today bartenders use them to wipe down the bartop and dry their hands.

From Redditor u/kdryan1: TIL that not only was homosexuality common among cowboys in the 1800s, it was widely accepted. People who engaged in same-sex relationships weren't even seen as homosexual, and there were even same-sex marriages. Context: Homosexuality as we define it today was a common occurrence in entirely or predominantly male societies like the Wild West. Such relationships, including marriages, were not discriminated against in the way we might expect from a contemporary lens; in fact, they were recognized and accepted.