Birthdays
James Armstrong
Turns 66 on this date
Caleb Cushing
Turns 60 on this date
Isaac T. Goodnow
Turns 46 on this date
Philip Johnson
Turns 42 on this date
Henry Elliot Shepherd
Turns 16 on this date
Joseph Culbertson Snively
Turns 24 on this date
James Noble Tyner
Turns 34 on this date
Events
| Foreign | Count Cavour recalled as prime minister of Piedmont-Sardinia | 01/17/1860 |
| Crime/Disasters | Ice on the Hudson gives way under a sleigh and eight people are drowned | 01/17/1860 |
| Crime/Disasters | In Vicksburg, a disgruntled former employee shoots newspaper editor dead on the street | 01/17/1860 |
| Business/Industry | Louisiana Governor Wickliffe recommends economic self-defense for the South | 01/17/1860 |
| Lawmaking/Litigating | The 36th U.S. Congress is in session in Washington, D.C. |
12/06/1859 to 06/24/1860 |
Documents
| Newspaper | New York Times, "The Exodus of Southern Medical Students," January 17, 1860 | 01/17/1860 |