John Hanning Speke and James Augustus Grant had set out for central Africa three years before and after months of exploration had reached the source of the Nile at Lake Victoria. Returning to England, the pair triumphantly described their expedition before a meeting of the Royal Geographical Society at Burlington House in London. (By John Osborne)  

Around seven thirty in the evening a violent earthquake struck Manila and its surrounding areas in the Phillippine Islands. The thirty second impact was largely felt in the city where dozens of buildings were destroyed or heavily damaged.  Loss of life was less than feared but, still, observers initially estimated hundreds dead and hundreds others buried in the rubble. (By John Osborne)

A massive earthquake struck the island of Rhodes in the eastern Aegean Sea and caused great destruction in the main town and in the villages across the island.  The village of Másari was reported to have suffered the most in damage and loss of life, with more than a hundred people killed and all the houses destroyed.  In total, an estimated 300 people lost their lives.  (By John Osborne)