Birthdays
Manning Ferguson Force
Turns 33 on this date
Joseph Henry
Turns 60 on this date
James Thadeus Holtzclaw
Turns 24 on this date
Samuel Jones
Turns 38 on this date
Frederick West Lander
Turns 36 on this date
John O'Neill
Turns 35 on this date
William Gaston Steele
Turns 37 on this date
Delia Ann Webster
Turns 40 on this date
Events
| Foreign | Mexican moderates revolt against the liberal government and jail Benito Juárez | 12/17/1857 |
| Legal/Political | The 35th Congress is in session in Washington, DC during December, 1857 before its holiday recess |
12/08/1857 to 12/22/1857 |
| Legal/Political | The House of Representatives meets for the first time in its new chamber in the United States Capitol | 12/17/1857 |