Birthdays
Phineas Taylor Barnum
Turns 51 on this date
David Glasgow Farragut
Turns 60 on this date
John Henry Lease
Turns 29 on this date
Lemuel Gregory Olmsted
Turns 53 on this date
Jesse Bowman Young
Turns 17 on this date
Events
| Crime/Disasters | Across the river from the New York capital, a huge fire in East Albany destroys two freight depots | 07/05/1861 |
| Lawmaking/Litigating | The 37th Congress is in session in Washington, DC, sitting from early July, 1861 till early August, 1861 |
07/05/1861 to 08/05/1861 |
| Science/Technology | The Great Comet of 1861 visible to the naked eye over North America and Europe |
06/30/1861 to 08/15/1861 |
Documents
| Newspaper | Newark (OH) Advocate, “The Impending Danger,” July 5, 1861 | 07/05/1861 |