What Happened in April 1880

Historical Events

  • Apr 9 British Open Men's Golf, Musselburgh Links: Scotsman Bob Ferguson wins first of 3 straight titles; beats Peter Paxton by 5 strokes

Boule de Suif

Apr 15 Guy de Maupassant's short story masterpiece "Boule de Suif" (Dumpling) is first published in the collection "Les Soirées de Médan"

  • Apr 18 An F4 tornado strikes Marshfield, Missouri, killing 99 people and injuring 100.
  • Apr 24 Amateur Athletic Association, governing body for men's athletics in England & Wales, is founded in Oxford, England
  • Apr 30 The Metropolitan Museum's new premises opens at its current site at Fifth Avenue and 82nd Street designed by Calvert Vaux and Jacob Wrey
1880 History

Famous Birthdays

  • Apr 1 Agha Petros, Assyrian general (d. 1932)
  • Apr 2 Harold Weekes, American College Football Hall of Fame halfback (Columbia University; All American 1901), born in Oyster Bay, New York (d. 1950)
  • Apr 4 Georg von Trapp, Austrian WWI submarine commander and inspiration for "The Sound of Music" character, born in Zara, Kingdom of Dalmatia, Austria-Hungary (d. 1947)
  • Apr 10 Frances Perkins, American politician and 1st woman to hold cabinet-level position (Labor 1933-45), born in Boston, Massachusetts (d. 1965)
  • Apr 10 Mohammed Nadir Shah, King of Afghanistan (1929-33), born in Dehra Dun, British India (d. 1933)
  • Apr 10 Montague Summers, English clergyman and writer (Malleus Maleficarum), born in Clifton, Bristol, England (d. 1948)
  • Apr 12 Addie Joss, American Baseball HOF pitcher (perfect game 1908; no hitters 1908, 10; 1.89 career ERA 2nd-lowest in MLB history; career WHIP 0.968 MLB record; Cleveland Bronchos), born in Woodland, Wisconsin (d. 1911)
  • Apr 13 Charles Christie, Canadian film studio owner, born in London, Ontario, Canada (d. 1955)
  • Apr 18 Sam Crawford, American Baseball HOF outfielder (MLB HR leader 1901, 08; AL RBI leader 1910, 14, 15; MLB record 309 career triples; Cincinnati Reds, Detroit Tigers), born in Wahoo, Nebraska (d. 1968)
  • Apr 24 Gideon Sundback, Swedish-American inventor, perfected the zipper, born in Ödestugu Parish, Sweden (d. 1954) [1]
  • Apr 26 Mikhail Fokine, Russian choreographer and founder of modern dance, born in Saint Petersburg, Russian Empire (d. 1942)
Born in 1880

Famous Weddings

John Muir

Apr 14 Philosopher John Muir (41) weds Louisa Strentzel

Famous Deaths

  • Apr 7 Diederich Krug, German pianist and composer (Le petit Chevalier), dies at 60
  • Apr 7 Isaac M. St. John, American Brigadier General (Confederate Army), dies at 52
  • Apr 13 Robert Fortune, Scottish botanist and plant hunter (established East India tea company in India), dies at 67
  • Apr 23 Raden Saleh [Raden Saleh Sjarif Boestaman], Indonesian romantic painter, dies at about 69