August Wilson's play Fences wins four Tony Awards, including one for best play. Born in Pittsburgh, Wilson moved to St. Paul in 1978 and soon began writing his award-winning plays, which chronicle African American experiences during the twentieth century.

Musician Prince Nelson is born in Minneapolis. He is perhaps best known for the song and movie Purple Rain. Nelson first took "Prince" as his stage name but for a time used an unpronounceable symbol, leading people to refer to him as "the artist formerly known as Prince."

The Minnesota Cooperative Creameries Association, now known as Land O'Lakes, is formed.

The steamer Hadley rams the whaleback freighter Thomas Wilson near the entry to the Duluth harbor. The Wilson sinks quickly, and nine crewmembers drown.

The Republican National Convention meets in Minneapolis and renominates Benjamin Harrison to the office of president. Harrison had defeated Grover Cleveland four years before but would lose to him in November. Two women from Wyoming attend the convention as alternates, the first female delegates to a national political convention.

Army Lieutenant Albert Lea, commanding a group of US Dragoons, arrives at the future site of his namesake city.

The steamboat Yankee proves that the Minnesota River is navigable by traveling for 300 miles upstream from Fort Snelling.

J. Paul Getty is born in Minneapolis. An entrepreneur, he would become a billionaire in the oil business, and he would bequeath much of his fortune to the Getty Trust, a philanthropic organization that supports the visual arts.

Four Minnesota regiments help defeat the Confederate army of General John Bell Hood outside Nashville, Tennessee. Over the course of this two-day battle, the Minnesota losses—302 killed, wounded, or missing—are the greatest the state suffers in any Civil War engagement.

A lyceum is organized in St. Paul. Lyceums were cultural centers that sponsored lectures, classes, and other activities.