Birthdays
Isaac Erwin Avery
Turns 31 on this date
George Alexander Coffey
Turns 39 on this date
Rodolphus Holland Duell
Turns 35 on this date
Edgar Everett Hastings
Turns 13 on this date
Laura Smith Haviland
Turns 51 on this date
Samuel Jordan Kirkwood
Turns 46 on this date
Richard Lucian Page
Turns 52 on this date
Amy Kirby Post
Turns 57 on this date
John Winfield Wallace
Turns 41 on this date
Events
| Crime/Disasters | Fuse cord factory blows up in Simsbury, Connecticut and eight die | 12/20/1859 |
| Legal/Political | Southern students from Philadelphia's medical schools meet and vote to leave for the South | 12/20/1859 |
| Lawmaking/Litigating | The 36th U.S. Congress is in session in Washington, D.C. |
12/06/1859 to 06/24/1860 |
Documents
| Letter | Abraham Lincoln to Jesse W. Fell, December 20, 1859 | 12/20/1859 |
| Newspaper | Chicago (IL) Press and Tribune, “Capture of a Slaver with 300 Negroes,” December 20, 1859 | 12/20/1859 |
| Newspaper | Hartford (CT) Courant, “Untitled,” December 20, 1859 | 12/20/1859 |