The first minstrel show in the United States, The Virginia Minstrels, opens (Bowery Amphitheatre in New York City).

A minstrel show, also called minstrelsy, was an American form of theater developed in the early 19th century. The shows were performed by mostly white actors wearing blackface makeup for the purpose of portraying racial stereotypes of African Americans. Minstrel shows stereotyped black people as…