August 17, 1877

Billy “the kid,” born William McCarty, commits his first murder on this day in 1877. The infamous outlaw was born in an Irish neighborhood of New York to a family who had immigrated during the famine. His mother moved his family west, where McCarty became involved with small crimes as a teenager. After getting into an argument with Irish immigrant Frank Cahill, Billy the kid shot the man and fled to New Mexico, where he began his long career of outlawry.