Historical Events
- Apr 8 Steamship "Great Western" makes her maiden voyage from Bristol, England, to New York
- Apr 9 UK National Gallery re-opens in its new dedicated building in Trafalgar Square, London
- Apr 22 English steamship "Sirius" docks in NYC after crossing the Atlantic, first transatlantic steam passenger service
Famous Birthdays
- Apr 3 Leon Michel Gambetta, French attorney and 37th Prime Minister of France (1881-82), born in Cahors, Kingdom of France (d. 1882)
- Apr 5 Alpheus Hyatt, American zoologist and paleontologist, born in Washington, D.C. (d. 1902)
- Apr 11 Joseph Leopold Röckel, German composer, born in London (d. 1908)
- Apr 12 John Shaw Billings, American librarian and surgeon, born in Allensville, Switzerland County, Indiana (d. 1913)
- Apr 16 Karel Bendl, Czech composer, born in Prague, Kingdom of Bohemia (d. 1897)
- Apr 18 Paul-Émile Lecoq de Boisbaudran, French scientist, born in Cognac, France (d. 1912)
John Muir (1838-1914)
Apr 21 Scottish naturalist and discoverer (glaciers in High Seirras), born in Dunbar
Famous Deaths
- Apr 3 Francesco Antommarchi, Napoleon's physician on St Helena, dies at 57
- Apr 6 Jeremiah Ingalls, early North-American choir master and composer (Farewell Hymn), dies at 72
- Apr 6 José Bonifácio de Andrada, Brazilian statesman, dies at 74
- Apr 11 Piet [Petrus Lafras] Uys, South African pioneer (Great Pull), murdered at 40
- Apr 17 Johanna Schopenhauer, German writer and mother of Arthur Schopenhauer, dies at 71
