The explosive exchange between Greek politicians earlier this week—peaking with Ilias Kasidiaris of the far-right Golden Dawn party throwing water on one of his female opponents before slugging another—was certainly jarring. But it’s hardly an isolated example of politicians forgoing verbal sparring for the satisfaction of the real thing. In fact, it’s not even exceptional. So what kinds of outbursts put this shameful, and completely inexcusable bout of violence to, well, shame? I’m glad you asked.

To the death.

You can’t discuss politician-on-politician violence without mentioning the genre’s gold standard: the Hamilton-Burr Duel. The disadvantage of not having youtube was countered by the fact that an American politician shot another American politician and killed him. The duel bore out the personal grudges between the two men, to be sure, but it also gave a bloody capstone to the struggle between Burr’s Democratic-Republicans and Hamilton’s Federalists.

To the near-death.

Just below out-and-out dueling is another American example: The caning of Senator Charles Sumner on the Senate floor in 1856. As the debate over slavery became increasingly embittered, Sumner—a Republican from Massachusetts, and ardent leader in the abolitionist movement—delivered a scathing speech, “The Crime Against Kansas.” In it, he maligned two Democratic Senators. Three days later, Representative Preston Brooks approached Sumner in the mostly empty chamber and beat him half to death with his cane, while a compatriot held any protestors back at gunpoint. There was a happy ending, though: Sumner recovered (eventually) and served another 18 years, becoming a hero for the abolition movement.