Birthdays
Barnard Elliot Bee Jr.
Turns 37 on this date
Austin Blair
Turns 43 on this date
John Hepburn Campbell
Turns 41 on this date
Richard Stoddert Ewell
Turns 44 on this date
Amos Preston Gilbert
Turns 20 on this date
John King Jackson
Turns 33 on this date
Adam Rankin Johnson
Turns 27 on this date
Martin Kalbfleisch
Turns 57 on this date
John Alexander Logan
Turns 35 on this date
Events
| Crime/Disasters | Beneath the streets of London, a mystery gas kills four sewer workers | 02/08/1861 |
| Lawmaking/Litigating | General Scott gives assurances of a smooth official counting of the Electoral College votes next week | 02/08/1861 |
| Lawmaking/Litigating | Georgia seizes New York ships in reprisal for New York police confiscation of arms bound for Savannah | 02/08/1861 |
| Battles/Soldiers | In Arkansas, local militia seize the U.S. Arsenal at Little Rock | 02/08/1861 |
| Crime/Disasters | New York City fire fought in a freezing gale kills one fireman and seriously injures another | 02/08/1861 |
| Lawmaking/Litigating | The Convention of Seceding States passes the provisional constitution of the Confederate States | 02/08/1861 |
| Lawmaking/Litigating | The second session of the 36th Congress is sitting in Washington, DC |
12/04/1860 to 03/02/1861 |
| Lawmaking/Litigating | The Washington Peace Conference is meeting at Willard's Hotel in Washington DC |
02/04/1861 to 02/27/1861 |
Documents
| Newspaper | Newark (OH) Advocate, “Abolition Threat of John P. Hale,” February 8, 1861 | 02/08/1861 |