The British Army's Grenadier Guards Regiment celebrated the two hundred year anniversary of its founding under Charles II with a banquet for officers and former members.  The gathering was held at St. James' Palace in London with Prince Albert presiding as the regiment's honorary colonel.  (By John Osborne)

President Buchanan wrote to Queen Victoria to suggest officially that should the Prince of Wales wish to extend his upcoming visit to Canada with a visit to the United States he would be welcomed with enthusiasm.   The invitation was taken up and the heir to the British throne entered the U.S. at Detroit on September 20, 1860 and was received in Washington DC by President Buchanan on the afternoon of October 3, 1860. (By John Osborne)

The General Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church was concluded in Buffalo, New York after more than a month of sometimes fractious deliberations, especially over slavery.  The gathering had opened on Tuesday, May 1, 1860 with hundreds of delegates from all over the country in attendance.  Weeks of debate ended when the conference could no longer produce a quorum and the conference was adjourned.  (By John Osborne) 

A series of tornado cells struck eastern Iowa and parts of Illinois beginning in the late afternoon.  The first touched down in Linn County, Iowa and the last in Elgin, Illinois, more than two hundred miles away.  Devastation was heaviest in Camanche, Iowa, a 1200 person town on the Mississippi.  At least 140 people were killed in the outbreak, perhaps 2,500 made homeless. Estimates of property loss exceeded one million dollars.  (By John Osborne)

New York City police and enthusiasts of illegal prize fighting in the city had been matching wits for a time.  An attempt to stage a contest between well known boxers King and Woods was planned for the early hours on Long Island.  Police were waiting and, despite resistance from a large crowd that forced the police to draw revolvers, the fight was prevented and the two boxers placed under a $500 bond to "keep the peace."  (By John Osborne)  

A destructive tornado, with heavy rain and hail, struck the western part of the town of Alton, Illinois in the early evening.  In twenty minutes, hundreds of buildings were damaged, the Episcopal and Methodist churches lost their steeples, and the new offices of the Alton Democrat were demolished.  Damage was estimated at at least $200,000 but only slight injuries were reported.  Worse was to follow the next day in Iowa as storm cells continued to develop in the MidWest. (By John Osborne) 

In Nevada, following the Paiute Indian defeat of a poorly equipped militia several weeks earlier, Nevada volunteers units had been formed and reinforced with U.S. regular infantry. In the area of the first battle, these forces, numbering around 750 men, engaged perhaps 300 Paiutes in a running battle over several days.  This so-called Second Battle of Pyramid Lake led to the driving off of the tribesmen and the eventual end of the Paiute War.  (By John Osborne)  

An 1858 Maryland statute had required freed slaves to leave Maryland immediately upon gaining their liberty and this 1860 law banned the practice of manumission by deed or will completely.  In keeping with the state's desire to reduce its free black population, the statute also contained a provision to allow free blacks to petition state courts to renounce freedom and choose masters.  (By John Osborne)