Republican Andrew Gregg Curtin was inaugurated as the fifteenth governor of Pennsylvania in a morning ceremony in Harrisburg, the state capital.  In his address, he said that Abraham Lincoln's election was being used as an excuse by certain states to diminish federal powers.  He was for seeking peace through compromise and would entertain constitutional amendments fairly voted upon but swore to "preserve the Union at any hazard."  (By John Osborne) 

At Niblo's Gardens, a Broadway theater in New York City, the famous horse tamer John Solomon Rarey gave the fourth in a series of demonstrations on how to control and calm an unruly horse to a sell-out crowd.  Originally from Ohio, the thirty-four year Rarey had gained fame for his "Rarey Technique" when in demonstrated it for Queen Victoria in 1858. The first "Horse Whisperer" became a very famous and wealthy man. He died in 1866.  (By John Osborne)  

Hinton R. Helper, the controversial author of The Impending Crisis was scheduled to give a lecture at the Clinton Hall in New York City but the proprietors decided to call the talk off "owing to the excited state of the public mind."  A small anti-Helper and pro-South crowd had gathered nevertheless and took some time to disperse.  The New York Police Department made one arrest.  (By John Osborne)

A massive overnight fire in the heart of the business district of Halifax, Nova Scotia, raced down George and Prince Streets and destroyed fifty-nine establishments and killed at least one citizen.  Lost were the American Consulate, most of the city's newspapers, and several important insurance concerns.  This was the third fire in four years in Halifax and went a long way to finally having buildings constructed of brick rather than wood.  (By John Osborne)  

A near riot ensued at an evening concert at the Academy of Music in Philadelphia when groups of young men in the galleries hissed the playing of national patriotic songs such as "Yankee Doodle" and "Hail Columbia."  Reported to be Southern students, only their swift ejection prevented an angry reaction from the majority of the audience.  (By John Osborne)  

Two Cincinnati policemen, Officers Clairborne Long and Daniel Hallam, had been stabbed the previous evening at a house of prostitution in the city.  Both died and two brothers, Constance and Romain Lohrer were arrested for the crime.  A mob soon formed to storm the prison and lynch the culprits.  The mayor, however, dispatched a local volunteer unit, the Guthrie Grays, to defend the building and the riot was dispersed.  (By John Osborne)