The Northwestern Telephone Exchange begins operating in Faribault, with forty customers.

Alexis Bailly is born in St. Joseph, Canada. He preceded Henry H. Sibley as an agent for the American Fur Company in Mendota, one of the most influential forces in the fur trade in Minnesota. Bailly was also one of the first settler-colonists to grow wheat in Minnesota and a member of the territorial legislature. He died in 1861.

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.

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.

Machinist William H. Fruen of Minneapolis is issued the first US patent for an automatic liquid-dispensing vending machine, which discharges a uniform amount of liquid from a reservoir when a coin is placed in a slot. An enthusiastic fisherman, Fruen had settled earlier in the year at the western edge of the city and begun excavating near his home for the construction of a fishpond in which to keep his catch fresh for eating.

Newton H. Winchell is born in New York. As Minnesota's state geologist, Winchell published twenty-four reports on the state's geology and paleontology. His research involved describing the movement of St. Anthony Falls (Owamniyomni) from its origins near Fort Snelling to its present location, an event requiring an estimated 8,000 years. He died in 1914.

The Elizabeth Kenny Institute for the treatment of infantile paralysis is dedicated in Minneapolis. Sister Kenny, an Australian nurse, came to the United States to promote her ideas about treating polio using physical therapy and hot packs rather than the traditional method of complete immobilization. Her work with a patient, Henry Haverstock, Jr., in his Minneapolis home brought her techniques increasing attention.

In a milestone in the history of health and medicine in Minnesota, Mary Lund is the first woman to receive a Jarvik-7 artificial heart, in Minneapolis. The device keeps her alive for about a month, until she receives a real heart via transplant.

Maria Louise Sanford is born in Saybrook, Connecticut. An extraordinary and popular teacher, Sanford was be appointed to the Department of Rhetoric at the University of Minnesota in 1880. After her retirement in 1909, she remained active, speaking on educational and patriotic topics. She died in 1920. A statue of her, sculpted by Evelyn Raymond, represents the state in Statuary Hall in Washington, DC.

West St. Paul sociology teacher Glen Holmquist, accused of slapping a student at a high school dance, is cleared of an assault charge by a municipal court. Holmquist's attorney says that his client's action was justified as an attempt to maintain order, and that there should be more discipline "instead of the wishy-washy policy parents are advocating today."

The first state legislature convenes, five months before Minnesota is admitted to the Union. Despite its questionable legality, the session passes over ninety laws and elects Henry M. Rice and James M. Shields as US senators. The pair travel to Washington, DC, and wait for statehood to become official so that their terms can begin.

Faribault's waterworks pass their operations test, and the system is accepted on December 31.