Abraham Lincoln had not attended the Republican National Convention in Chicago but had followed the proceedings very closely from Springfield, Illinois.  In the evening of May 18, 1860 he received the news at the Springfield telegraph office that he had won the nomination on the third ballot and walked home to bring the news to his wife and family.  He gave an informal acceptance the next evening and a formal written acceptance on May 23, 1860.  (By John Osborne)

A massive hail storm struck Rockbridge County in western Virginia and destroyed wheat and other crops in the fields over a wide area.  Reports at the time had hail three or four inches deep in places with stones as large as chicken eggs. (By John Osborne)

The Japanese Mission to the United States had arrived in Washington, D.C. the previous day and at noon on this following day were received at the State Department by Secretary of State Cass.  Gifts, documents, and pleasantries were exchanged and arrangements for the party to meet President Buchanan at the White House the following day were confirmed.  (By John Osborne)  

Calhoun Benham had been one of the seconds for David Smith Terry in the notorious California duel that had taken the life of Senator David Broderick a few months before.  Democrats had nominated him as District Attorney for the state of California and that was confirmed in the U.S. Senate by a vote of  29 to 17.  All Republicans present voted against.  Stephen Douglas voted for, earning hostility from Democrat friends of Broderick as well as Republicans.  (By John Osborne) 

The north-east had been suffering near drought conditions for some time and a forest fire had been burning around Presque Isle, Maine for several days.  On this Sunday the fire reached into the town of around seven hundred people and burned eight buildings, practically the whole northern side of the town, including the school.  The loss was estimated at around $25,000 but no serious injuries were reported.  (By John Osborne).

In the evening, the paddle steamer Silver Star traveling on the Ohio River from Evansville, Indiana to Paducah, Kentucky, caught fire near the Curlew Coal Mines in Union County, Kentucky.  The fire spread quickly and the vessel burned out completely.  Five lives were lost.  (By John Osborne) 

In 1851 a log boom had been constructed on the upper Susquehanna River near Williamsport, Pennsylvania to capture logs for the booming lumber industry along the river.  Spring rains caused the boom to give way on May 11, 1860, sending eighty million feet of of lumber worth $300,000 cascading down the Susquehanna as far south as Harrisburg, providing the people of Cumberland and York counties with an unexpected bonanza.  (By John Osborne)