Oliver Crosby and Frank Johnson open the Franklin Manufacturing Company. Renamed Amhoist in 1892, the derrick crane company would be a major St. Paul employer until 1985, when it relocated to Wilmington, North Carolina.

In response to anti-draft activity, particularly in New Ulm, the "drafted men of Brown County" pass a resolution supporting both the United States' entry into World War I and the draft law itself.

Composer Antonín Dvořák visits Minnehaha Falls and performs for the Czecho-Slovanic Benefit Society (at CSPS Hall) in St. Paul. Inspired by his view of the falls, Dvořák later bases a composition on his "Minnehaha theme": the Sonatina for violin and piano.

The St. Paul City Council establishes the St. Paul Public Library. Located on the fourth floor of the Ingersoll Building, it opens on January 2 with a collection of 8,000 books.

The Younger gang tries to rob the First National Bank in Northfield. Bookkeeper Joseph Lee Heywood delays the robbery by refusing to open the vault and pays with his life. A gunfight in the streets of Northfield follows; two of the robbers die and two more are wounded in the fight. A posse catches up with the gang at Madelia a few days later, killing one additional member and capturing all three of the infamous Younger brothers, Cole, Bob, and Jim, who would be sentenced to life in prison. Two of the gang members escape.

Philanthropist Eleanor Lawler Pillsbury dies at age 104. She had been involved with the Women's Association of the Minneapolis Symphony Orchestra, the National Society of Colonial Dames of America, Minnesota Planned Parenthood, and the Friends of the Minneapolis Institute of Arts.

Deborah Montgomery is the first woman admitted to the St. Paul police academy. She eventually rose to the rank of lieutenant.

The celebrated trotting horse Dan Patch paces a mile in 1:55 at the State Fair, setting the world's record.

A tornado moves through Hennepin, Ramsey, and Washington Counties, killing nine. White Bear Lake is hardest hit.

"Kirby Puckett's Salute to You" draws 51,000 baseball fans to the Metrodome. On July 12 Puckett had announced his impending retirement. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame on August 5, 2001.