The 1740s

1749

King George II of Great Britain grants the Ohio Company a charter of land around the forks of the Ohio River

George II was King of Great Britain and Ireland, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg (Hanover) and a prince-elector of the Holy Roman Empire from 11 June 1727 (O.S.) until his death in 1760…

King George II of Great Britain grants the Ohio Company a charter of land around the forks of the Ohio River

1749

Jean-Frédéric Edelmann, French pianist and composer (died 1794)

Jean-Frédéric Edelmann was a French classical composer. He was born in Strasbourg to a Protestant family of Alsatian descent. After studying law and music, he moved to Paris in 177…

Jean-Frédéric Edelmann, French pianist and composer (died 1794)

1749

Levi Lincoln Sr

Levi Lincoln Sr. was an American revolutionary, lawyer, and statesman from Massachusetts. A Democratic-Republican, he served as Thomas Jefferson's first attorney general, and playe…

Levi Lincoln Sr

1749

Edward Jenner, English physician and microbiologist (died 1823)

Edward Jenner was an English physician and scientist who pioneered the concept of vaccines and created the smallpox vaccine, the world's first vaccine. The terms vaccine and vaccin…

Edward Jenner, English physician and microbiologist (died 1823)

1749

Abraham ben Abraham, Polish martyr (born 1700)

Abraham ben Abraham, also known as Count Valentine Potocki, was a Polish nobleman (szlachta) of the Potocki family who converted to Judaism and was burned at the stake by the Roman…

Abraham ben Abraham, Polish martyr (born 1700)

1748

Georg Michael Telemann, German composer and theologian (died 1831)

Georg Michael Telemann was a German composer and theologian.

Georg Michael Telemann, German composer and theologian (died 1831)

1748

Félix Vicq-d'Azyr, French physician and anatomist (died 1794)

Félix Vicq d'Azyr was a French physician and anatomist, the originator of comparative anatomy and discoverer of the theory of homology in biology.

Félix Vicq-d'Azyr, French physician and anatomist (died 1794)

1748

Adamantios Korais, Greek-French philosopher and scholar (died 1833)

Adamantios Korais or Koraïs was a Greek scholar credited with laying the foundations of modern Greek literature and a major figure in the Greek Enlightenment. His activities paved …

Adamantios Korais, Greek-French philosopher and scholar (died 1833)

1748

Olympe de Gouges, French playwright and philosopher (died 1793)

Olympe de Gouges was a French playwright and political activist. She is best known for her Declaration of the Rights of Woman and of the Female Citizen and other writings on women'…

Olympe de Gouges, French playwright and philosopher (died 1793)

1748

Anton thor Helle, German-Estonian clergyman and translator (born 1683)

Anton Thor Helle was a Baltic German Lutheran clergyman, linguist and Bible translator in Estonia. He led the initiative and served as chief editor of the first complete translatio…

Anton thor Helle, German-Estonian clergyman and translator (born 1683)

1748

Thomas Lowndes, English astronomer and academic (born 1692)

Thomas Lowndes was the founder of the Lowndean professorship of astronomy at Cambridge University, England.

Thomas Lowndes, English astronomer and academic (born 1692)

1747

War of the Austrian Succession: A British fleet under Admiral George Anson defeats the French at the First Battle of Cap

The War of the Austrian Succession, 1740 to 1748, was a conflict between the European great powers, fought primarily in Europe, the Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea. Related co…

War of the Austrian Succession: A British fleet under Admiral George Anson defeats the French at the First Battle of Cap

1747

Leopold II, Holy Roman Emperor (died 1792)

Leopold II was the penultimate Holy Roman Emperor, as well as King of Hungary, Croatia and Bohemia, and Archduke of Austria from 1790 to 1792, and Grand Duke of Tuscany from 1765 t…

Leopold II, Holy Roman Emperor (died 1792)

1747

John Dalrymple, 2nd Earl of Stair, Scottish field marshal and diplomat, British Ambassador to France (born 1673)

Field Marshal John Dalrymple, 2nd Earl of Stair, was a British army officer and diplomat who served as the British ambassador to France from 1714 to 1720. He served in the Nine Yea…

John Dalrymple, 2nd Earl of Stair, Scottish field marshal and diplomat, British Ambassador to France (born 1673)

1747

Luc de Clapiers, marquis de Vauvenargues, French author (born 1715)

Luc de Clapiers, marquis de Vauvenargues was a French writer and moralist. He died at age 31, in broken health, having published the year prior—anonymously—a collection of essays a…

Luc de Clapiers, marquis de Vauvenargues, French author (born 1715)

1747

Andrey Osterman, German-Russian politician, Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs (born 1686)

Count Andrey Ivanovich Ostermann was a German-born Russian statesman who came to prominence under Tsar Peter I of Russia and served until the accession of the Tsesarevna Elizabeth …

Andrey Osterman, German-Russian politician, Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs (born 1686)

1746 280 years ago

The Battle of Culloden is fought between the French-supported Jacobites and the British Hanoverian forces commanded by W

The Battle of Culloden took place on 16 April 1746, near Inverness, in the Scottish Highlands. A Jacobite army under Charles Edward Stuart was decisively defeated by a British gove…

The Battle of Culloden is fought between the French-supported Jacobites and the British Hanoverian forces commanded by W

1746 280 years ago

Gaspard Monge, French mathematician and engineer (died 1818)

Gaspard Monge, Comte de Péluse was a French mathematician, commonly presented as the inventor of descriptive geometry, technical drawing, and the father of differential geometry.

Gaspard Monge, French mathematician and engineer (died 1818)

1746 280 years ago

Thomas Southerne, Irish playwright (born 1660)

Thomas Southerne was an Irish dramatist.

Thomas Southerne, Irish playwright (born 1660)

1745

Battle of Hohenfriedberg: Frederick the Great's Prussian army decisively defeat an Austrian army under Prince Charles Al

The Battle of Hohenfriedberg or Hohenfriedeberg, also known as the Battle of Striegau was one of Frederick the Great's most admired victories. Frederick's Prussian army decisively …

Battle of Hohenfriedberg: Frederick the Great's Prussian army decisively defeat an Austrian army under Prince Charles Al

1745

Philippe Pinel, French physician and psychiatrist (died 1826)

Philippe Pinel was a French physician, precursor of psychiatry and incidentally a zoologist. He was instrumental in the development of a more humane psychological approach to the c…

Philippe Pinel, French physician and psychiatrist (died 1826)

1745

Oliver Ellsworth, American lawyer and politician, 3rd Chief Justice of the United States (died 1807)

Oliver Ellsworth was a Founding Father of the United States, attorney, jurist, politician, and diplomat. Ellsworth was a framer of the United States Constitution, United States sen…

Oliver Ellsworth, American lawyer and politician, 3rd Chief Justice of the United States (died 1807)

1745

Carl Stamitz, German violinist and composer (died 1801)

Carl Philipp Stamitz, was a German composer of partial Czech ancestry of the Classical era. He was the most prominent representative of the second generation of the Mannheim School…

Carl Stamitz, German violinist and composer (died 1801)

1745

Tomaso Antonio Vitali, Italian violinist and composer (born 1663)

Tomaso Antonio Vitali was an Italian composer and violinist of the mid to late Baroque era. The eldest son of Giovanni Battista Vitali, he is chiefly known for a Chaconne in G mino…

Tomaso Antonio Vitali, Italian violinist and composer (born 1663)