The 1700s

1706 320 years ago

War of the Spanish Succession: The Grand Alliance armies routed the Franco-Spanish-Bavarian army in Ramillies, present-d

The War of the Spanish Succession was a European great power conflict fought between 1701 and 1714. The death of Charles II of Spain in November 1700 without children led to a cont…

War of the Spanish Succession: The Grand Alliance armies routed the Franco-Spanish-Bavarian army in Ramillies, present-d

1705

Matthäus Günther, German painter (died 1788)

Matthäus Günther was an important German painter and artist of the Baroque and Rococo era.

Matthäus Günther, German painter (died 1788)

1705

A fire in Oulu, Finland almost completely destroyed the fourth district, which covered the southern part of the city…

Oulu is a major port city in Finland and the regional capital of North Ostrobothnia. It is located on the north-western coast of the country at the mouth of the River Oulu. The pop…

A fire in Oulu, Finland almost completely destroyed the fourth district, which covered the southern part of the city…

1705

Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor (born 1640)

Leopold I was Holy Roman Emperor, King of Germany, King of Hungary, Croatia and Bohemia. The second son of Ferdinand III, Holy Roman Emperor, by his first wife, Maria Anna of Spain…

Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor (born 1640)

1705

Francis Blomefield, English historian and author (died 1752)

Rev. Francis Blomefield, FSA, Rector of Fersfield in Norfolk, was an English antiquarian who wrote a county history of Norfolk: An Essay Towards a Topographical History of the Coun…

Francis Blomefield, English historian and author (died 1752)

1705

Jacob Bernoulli, Swiss mathematician and theorist (born 1654)

Jacob Bernoulli was a Swiss mathematician. He sided with Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz during the Leibniz–Newton calculus controversy and was an early proponent of Leibnizian calculus,…

Jacob Bernoulli, Swiss mathematician and theorist (born 1654)

1704

The first regular newspaper in British Colonial America, The Boston News-Letter, is published

The Thirteen Colonies were the British colonies on the Atlantic coast of North America which broke away from the British Crown in the American Revolutionary War (1775–1783), and jo…

The first regular newspaper in British Colonial America, The Boston News-Letter, is published

1704

War of the Spanish Succession: Gibraltar is captured by an English and Dutch fleet, commanded by Admiral Sir George…

The War of the Spanish Succession was a conflict between the European great powers, fought between 1701 and 1714. The death of Charles II of Spain in November 1700 without children…

War of the Spanish Succession: Gibraltar is captured by an English and Dutch fleet, commanded by Admiral Sir George…

1704

Benjamin Huntsman, English inventor and businessman (died 1776)

Benjamin Huntsman was an English inventor and manufacturer of cast or crucible steel.

Benjamin Huntsman, English inventor and businessman (died 1776)

1704

John Kay, English engineer, invented the Flying shuttle (died 1780)

John Kay was an English inventor whose most important creation was the flying shuttle, which was a key contribution to the Industrial Revolution. He is often confused with his name…

John Kay, English engineer, invented the Flying shuttle (died 1780)

1704

John Taylor, English author and scholar (died 1766)

John Taylor, English classical scholar, was born at Shrewsbury in Shropshire, England.

John Taylor, English author and scholar (died 1766)

1704

Jean-Baptiste de Boyer, Marquis d'Argens, French philosopher and author (died 1771)

Jean-Baptiste de Boyer, Marquis d'Argens was a French rationalist, author and critic of the Catholic Church, who was a close friend of Voltaire and spent much of his life in exile …

Jean-Baptiste de Boyer, Marquis d'Argens, French philosopher and author (died 1771)

1704

War of the Spanish Succession: Battle of Blenheim: English and Imperial forces are victorious over French and Bavarian…

The War of the Spanish Succession was a conflict between the European great powers, fought between 1701 and 1714. The death of Charles II of Spain in November 1700 without children…

War of the Spanish Succession: Battle of Blenheim: English and Imperial forces are victorious over French and Bavarian…

1704

Carlos Seixas, Portuguese harpsichord player and composer (died 1742)

José António Carlos de Seixas was a pre-eminent Portuguese composer of the 18th century. An accomplished virtuoso of both the organ and the harpsichord, Seixas succeeded his father…

Carlos Seixas, Portuguese harpsichord player and composer (died 1742)

1704

August Gottlieb Spangenberg, German bishop and theologian (died 1792)

August Gottlieb Spangenberg was a German theologian, minister, and bishop of the Moravian Church. As successor to Nicolaus Zinzendorf as bishop of the Moravian Church, he helped de…

August Gottlieb Spangenberg, German bishop and theologian (died 1792)

1704

Gabriel Cramer, Swiss mathematician and physicist (died 1752)

Gabriel Cramer was a Genevan mathematician.

Gabriel Cramer, Swiss mathematician and physicist (died 1752)

1704

Louis d'Orléans, Duke of Orléans (died 1752)

Louis, Duke of Orléans was a member of the House of Orléans, a cadet branch of the House of Bourbon, and as such was a prince du sang. At his father's death, he became the First Pr…

Louis d'Orléans, Duke of Orléans (died 1752)

1704

Joseph de Jussieu, French explorer, geographer, and mathematician, (died 1779)

Joseph de Jussieu, was a French botanist and explorer, member of the Jussieu family. He introduced the common garden heliotrope to European gardeners.

Joseph de Jussieu, French explorer, geographer, and mathematician, (died 1779)

1704

Heinrich Ignaz Franz Biber, Czech-Austrian violinist and composer (born 1644)

Heinrich Ignaz Franz von Biber was a Czech-Austrian composer and violinist of the middle Baroque era. Biber worked in Graz and Kroměříž before he illegally left his employer, Princ…

Heinrich Ignaz Franz Biber, Czech-Austrian violinist and composer (born 1644)

1704

Louis Bourdaloue, French preacher and author (born 1632)

Louis Bourdaloue was a French Jesuit and preacher.

Louis Bourdaloue, French preacher and author (born 1632)

1704

Tom Brown, English author and translator (born 1662)

Thomas Brown was an English translator and satirist, largely forgotten today save for a four-line gibe that he may have written concerning John Fell.

Tom Brown, English author and translator (born 1662)

1704

John Quelch, English pirate (born 1665)

John Quelch was an English pirate who had a lucrative but very brief career of about one year. His chief claim to historical significance is that he was the first person to be trie…

John Quelch, English pirate (born 1665)

1704

Pierre-Charles Le Sueur, French fur trader and explorer (born 1657)

Pierre-Charles Le Sueur was a French fur trader and explorer in North America, recognized as the first known European to explore the Minnesota River valley.

Pierre-Charles Le Sueur, French fur trader and explorer (born 1657)

1704

John Campbell released the first issue of The Boston News-Letter, the first continuously published newspaper in British

John Campbell was an early American newspaper publisher and editor and Postmaster of Boston. He founded the first regularly published newspaper in British America, The Boston News-…

John Campbell released the first issue of The Boston News-Letter, the first continuously published newspaper in British