The first running of the Grand Prix de Paris was held in the mid-afternoon, the third race of a meeting at the Longchamps Racecourse in Paris.  The prestigious 3000 meter challenge race for three year-olds offered a 100,000 franc prize along with a massive trophy from the French emperor.  The inaugural race, with twelve runners, was won by the English colt The Ranger.  The race has been run since, except during wartime, and takes place now on Bastille Day.  (By John Osborne) 

Thirteen year-old Willie Pape, a child prodigy American pianist from Mobile, Alabama, performed for the first time in England at the Hanover Street Rooms in London to great acclaim.  He had been playing in public for some years, in New York, Cuba, and Canada before coming to England, where he stayed for some years, returning to the United States in 1875.  He returned to Mobile, became a medical doctor and taught at the Medical College in his home city.  He died in 1901.  (By John Osborne) 

A mid-afternoon explosion in a bakery on Cherry Street in New York City killed two men and burned four others seriously.  Though the explosion shook buildings and frightened those close by, no fire broke out after the blast and damage was seen as very limited in the circumstances. (By John Osborne) 

On the Fashion Course at Flushing in Queens, two of the biggest names in the harness racing world squared off in the first of a series of match races with a total of $30,000 at stake.  The first day's race, before a reported crowd of more than seven thousand, saw General Butler defeat George M. Patchen in the best three of five heats. Butler, the favorite, lost the first heat but won the following three contests to take the day. (By John Osborne)

Just before midnight, as she was preparing to take on a tow for the schooner Traveller just outside the port of Chicago, the tug Crawford had its boiler suddenly explode.  Three of the four men aboard were killed instantly while a fourth, a deck hand, was blown overboard and survived. The brand new tug, which had been launched only a few weeks before, sank in twenty-five feet of water and was a complete loss. (By John Osborne)

War Department General Order No. 143 mandated a Bureau of Colored Troops to oversee and regularize the recruitment, equipping, and officering of the African-American regiments forming around the country. Regiments were to be numbered in the order they would be formed, black troops could serve as non-commissioned officers, and white officers wishing to command and serve in these regiments were to apply to the Bureau. Major Charles F. Foster was named as head of the unit.  (By John Osborne)