• Monarch – Christian IX^[1]
• Prime minister – C. E. Frijs

• 16 January – Emil Messershcmidt's Tannery on Gammel Kongevej in Copenhagen is hit by fire.
• 22 May – Maria Fedeorowna arrives to Copenhagen.
• 29 October – A hurricane hits the Danish West Indies.

Undated edit

January–March edit

• 10 January – Sophy A. Christensen, furnituremaker (died 1955)

April–June edit

• 7 April – Holger Pedersen, linguist (died 1953)
• 25 May – Anders Peter Nielsen, sport shooter (died 1950)
• 11 June – Marie Krøyer, painter (died 1940)

July–September edit

• 9 July – Gad Frederik Clement, painter (died 1933)
• 16 September – Hedevig Quiding, singer and music critic (died 1936)

October–December edit

• 27 December – Johannes Larsen, painter (died 1961)

• 3 March – Johan Ludwig Lund, painter (born 1777)
• 10 September – Broder Knud Brodersen Wigelsen, naval officer (born 1787)
• 22 November – Didrik Frisch, painter (born 1835)
• 20 December – Ole Johansen Winstrup, engineer and inventor (born 1782)