Timeline April 1838

Events in April 1838 4

• 1763 – 1838 José Bonifácio de Andrada (1763-1838) Died 6 April 1838, aged 74 José Bonifácio de Andrada, statesman and naturalist known as the Patriarch of Brazilian Independence, died in Niterói. He had served as chief minister to Emperor Pedro I and tutored the young Pedro II. His writings on Brazilian independence and his opposition to slavery shaped early Brazilian political thought.
• 1838 Great Western and Sirius Complete First Steam-Powered Atlantic Crossings Sirius and Great Western reach New York within a day of each other The steamships Sirius and Great Western crossed the Atlantic almost entirely under steam power, arriving in New York in April 1838. Sirius departed Cork and arrived first, followed a day later by the purpose-built Great Western from Bristol. Their voyages proved regular transatlantic steam passenger service was commercially viable.
• 1838 National Gallery Opens New Building on Trafalgar Square London's national art collection moves to a purpose-built home The National Gallery's new building, designed by William Wilkins, opened to the public on Trafalgar Square in London. The gallery had previously been housed in a townhouse on Pall Mall since its founding in 1824. The new site placed it at the symbolic center of the city, alongside the Royal Academy.
• 1838 Federal Republic of Central America Breaks Apart Nicaragua, Honduras, and Costa Rica secede from the federation The Federal Republic of Central America, formed in 1823 from the former Spanish colonial provinces, disintegrated as Nicaragua, Honduras, and Costa Rica each declared formal independence during 1838. Ongoing civil wars and regional rivalries had already weakened the federal government. Guatemala and El Salvador followed with their own secessions soon after, ending the union entirely.