Explore 184 historical events from 1740–1749.
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)
Cyrus Griffin was an American lawyer and politician, who served as the final President of the Congress of the Confederation and first United States district judge of the United Sta…
Cyrus Griffin, American lawyer, judge, and politician, 16th President of the Continental Congress (died 1810)
Bernhard Peter Schott was a German clarinetist and music publisher. He founded the predecessor of Schott Music, a major German music publishing company which continues to this day.
Bernhard Schott, German music publisher (died 1809)
Joseph Schuster was a German composer.
Joseph Schuster, German composer (died 1812)
Jacques-Louis David was a French painter in the Neoclassical style, considered to be the preeminent painter of the era. In the 1780s, his cerebral brand of history painting marked …
Jacques-Louis David, French painter and illustrator (died 1825)
Jean-Étienne Despréaux was a French ballet dancer, choreographer, composer, singer and playwright.
Jean-Étienne Despréaux, French ballet dancer, choreographer, composer, and playwright (died 1820)
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)
Thomas Lowndes was the founder of the Lowndean professorship of astronomy at Cambridge University, England.
Thomas Lowndes, English astronomer and academic (born 1692)
Felice Torelli was an Italian Baroque painter active mainly in Bologna, Papal States.
Felice Torelli, Italian painter (born 1667)
James Thomson was a Scottish poet and playwright, known for his poems The Seasons and The Castle of Indolence, and for the lyrics of "Rule, Britannia!"
James Thomson, Scottish poet and playwright (born 1700)
Ignacia del Espíritu Santo, also known as "Mother Ignacia" was a Filipino religious sister of the Catholic Church. She was known for her acts of piety and religious poverty and fou…
Ignacia del Espíritu Santo, Filipino nun, founded the Religious of the Virgin Mary (born 1663)
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
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)
John Paul Jones was a British-American naval officer who served in the Continental Navy during the American Revolutionary War. Often referred to as the "Father of the American Navy…
John Paul Jones, Scottish-American captain, early leader in the Continental Navy (died 1792)
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)
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)
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)
Alessandro Ignazio Marcello was an Italian nobleman and composer.
Alessandro Marcello, Italian composer and educator (born 1669)
Giovanni Bononcini was an Italian Baroque composer, cellist, singer and teacher, one of a family of string players and composers. He was a rival to George Frederic Handel.
Giovanni Bononcini, Italian cellist and composer (born 1670)
Giuseppe Maria Crespi, nicknamed Lo Spagnuolo, was an Italian late Baroque painter of the Bolognese School. His eclectic output includes religious paintings and portraits, but he i…
Giuseppe Crespi, Italian painter (born 1665)
Nader Shah Afshar was the founder of the Afsharid dynasty of Iran and one of the most powerful rulers in Iranian history, ruling as the emperor of Iran (Persia) from 1736 to 1747, …
Nader Shah, Persian leader (born 1688)
Marie-Madeleine Jarret, known as Madeleine de Verchères was a woman of New France credited with repelling a raid on Fort Verchères when she was 14 years old.
Madeleine de Verchères, Canadian raid leader (born 1678)
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
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: Austria and Sardinia defeat a Franco-Spanish army at the Battle of Piacenza