Birthdays
Reverdy Johnson
Turns 64 on this date
Dabney Herndon Maury
Turns 38 on this date
Andrew Parker
Turns 55 on this date
Mosby Monroe Parsons
Turns 38 on this date
Mary Virginia Wade
Turns 17 on this date
Events
| Lawmaking/Litigating | In Charleston, South Carolina, Charles Lamar and others are fined $250 for obstructing federal justice | 05/21/1860 |
| Lawmaking/Litigating | Purser of slave ship Wanderer goes on trial in Charleston, South Carolina for piracy | 05/21/1860 |
| Lawmaking/Litigating | The 36th U.S. Congress is in session in Washington, D.C. |
12/06/1859 to 06/24/1860 |
| Crime/Disasters | Tornadoes in the Ohio Valley cause massive damage and kill more than one hundred and fifty | 05/21/1860 |
Documents
| Newspaper | Fayetteville (NC) Observer, "The Black Republican Nominees," May 21, 1860 | 05/21/1860 |
| Newspaper | Richmond (VA) Dispatch, “The Chicago Convention,” May 21, 1860 | 05/21/1860 |