Birthdays
John Hall Allstadt
Turns 40 on this date
Absalom Arter
Turns 14 on this date
Arthur W. Bannister
Turns 14 on this date
Wilson Barrett
Turns 25 on this date
Julia D. Coulter Bates
Turns 52 on this date
Thomas Bayne
Turns 35 on this date
John Yates Beall
Turns 24 on this date
Philip Alexander Bell
Turns 51 on this date
Events
| Crime/Disasters | Engine-house in Worcester, Massachusetts demolished in a gas explosion | 01/01/1859 |
| Campaigns/Elections | Lincoln-Douglas campaign lasts from mid-June 1858 until January 1859 |
06/16/1858 to 01/05/1859 |
| US/the World | Napoleon III hints at coming war with Austria | 01/01/1859 |
| Lawmaking/Litigating | The second session of the 35th Congress is in its ten day holiday recess until January 5, 1859 |
12/24/1858 to 01/04/1859 |
Documents
| Newspaper | New York Times, “Starvation in New York,” January 1, 1859 | 01/01/1859 |