Birthdays
James Armstrong
Turns 67 on this date
Caleb Cushing
Turns 61 on this date
Isaac T. Goodnow
Turns 47 on this date
Philip Johnson
Turns 43 on this date
Henry Elliot Shepherd
Turns 17 on this date
Joseph Culbertson Snively
Turns 25 on this date
James Noble Tyner
Turns 35 on this date
Events
| Education/Culture | Famed courtesan and exotic dancer Lola Montez dies of pneumonia in New York City | 01/17/1861 |
| Education/Culture | In New York City, the new Brooklyn Academy of Music is inaugurated with a Grand Ball | 01/17/1861 |
| Lawmaking/Litigating | The second session of the 36th Congress is sitting in Washington, DC |
12/04/1860 to 03/02/1861 |
Documents
| Newspaper | "The Floyd Banquet," New York Herald, January 17, 1861 | 01/17/1861 |
| Newspaper | Fayetteville (NC) Observer, “An Incident at Fort Sumter,” January 17, 1861 | 01/17/1861 |