Several citizens of Detroit, Michigan had highly fortunate escapes when a boiler explosion at the Michigan Flouring Mill in the city exploded suddenly with remarkable force.  Steam and pieces of machinery were thrown long distances, while the boiler's operator was buried in the ruins of the engine house. Two passing merchants had their buggy crushed with falling debris.  Remarkably, no-one was seriously hurt; even the boilerman himself was pulled from the rubble unhurt.  (By John Osborne) 

The trading schooner Potomac sailed from Jacksonville, Florida for Boston with a load of lumber.  She got into difficulties on March 15, 1861 when a gale struck and damaged her fatally.  As fortune would have it, theTropic, nearing the end of a long voyage from San Francisco to New York, encountered her four days later about to sink. After a two day struggle, the Potomac's crew was rescued and no lives were lost.  (By John Osborne)   

The first Parliament of a united Italy met in Turin and unanimously passed a bill designating Victor Emmanuel II of Piedmont-Sardinia as the first king of a new nation three days before.  Victor Emmanuel retained the "second" in his title, in honor of his father and his royal house.  The declaration became official when he signed the edict three days later.  Britain quickly recognized the new Italy as did the United States a short time later.  (By John Osborne)  

The first Parliament of a united Italy met in Turin and unanimously passed a bill designating Victor Emmanuel II of Piedmont-Sardinia as the first king of a new nation.  Victor Emmanuel retained the "second" in his title, in honor of his father and his royal house.  The vote took place of the new king's forty-first birthday.  He signed the edict three days later.  Britain quickly recognized the new Italy as did the United States a short time later.  (By John Osborne)  

After one year and one day of fighting between British troops and settlers and the indigenous Maori in New Zealand, talks between the Maori leader Wiremu Tamehana and British Governor Thomas Gore Browne resulted in an agreement that brought the First Taranaki War to an end. The conflict had hinged on differences between native and settler definitions of land ownership and an even larger conflict arose again in 1863 with the Second Taranaki War.  (By John Osborne)

William Crookes, a twenty-nine year-old British scientist, announced his discovery of the chemical element thallium in the Chemical News in London.  He had first noticed the new element on March 7, 1861 during his experiments with spectrum analysis.  French chemist Claude-August Lamy also discovered thallium independently around the same time.  It is used in electronics, pharmaceuticals, and in optics. It was named after Thallia,  the Greek muse of comedy and poetry.  (By John Osborne)

West African jihad leader Al-Hajj Umar Tall of the Tukelors of Fouta Djallon defeated the declining Bambara Empire of Mali at the Battle of Wéta and captured its capital of Ségoukoro.  Umar Tall died in battle in 1864 continuing his efforts to expand the Tukelor Empire and spread Islam in the region.  (By John Osborne)

Philadelphia banks resumed specie payments after almost four months.  Financial disruption following the general election had resulted in them being suspended in the city on November 22, 1860.  In the following months, however, bankers abroad, particularly in Britain, shipped large amounts of gold to the United States and by March the situation had eased.   (By John Osborne) 

An early morning fire destroyed a house on Patrick Street in Dublin.  In a poor area of the city, the house was the home for thirty-two people in seven families.  In all, eleven people, including eight children, died in the blaze.  (By John Osborne) 

The night between April 8 and April 9, 1861 was deemed as the official moment of the seventh British national census. The count numbered ultimately 29,334,788 people living in the British Isles, an increase of around two million from 1851.  Ireland, however, had a decrease, from 6,552,385 to 5,764,543.  The United States had counted 23,191,876 citizens in 1850, including more than three million slaves.   (By John Osborne)