Birthdays
William Daily Clayton
Turns 22 on this date
Jonathan Perry Harrison
Turns 31 on this date
Anthony Kennedy
Turns 50 on this date
Samuel Alexander Mudd
Turns 27 on this date
Robert Barnwell Rhett
Turns 60 on this date
James Sewall Thomas
Turns 29 on this date
William Wright
Turns 72 on this date
Events
| Science/Technology | First day of Winter | 12/21/1860 |
| Lawmaking/Litigating | New Orleans celebrates the secession of South Carolina | 12/21/1860 |
| Lawmaking/Litigating | Speaker of the U.S. House refuses resignations of the South Carolina congressional delegation | 12/21/1860 |
| Lawmaking/Litigating | The second session of the 36th Congress is sitting in Washington, DC |
12/04/1860 to 03/02/1861 |
Documents
| Letter | John Thompson to William Still, December 21, 1860 | 12/21/1860 |
| Newspaper | Newark (OH) Advocate, "Suffering in New York," December 21, 1860 | 12/21/1860 |