The 1740s

1746 280 years ago

War of the Austrian Succession: Austria and Sardinia defeat a Franco-Spanish army at the Battle of Piacenza

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

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)

1746 280 years ago

Colin Maclaurin, Scottish mathematician (born 1698)

Colin Maclaurin was a Scottish mathematician who made important contributions to geometry and algebra. He is also known for being a child prodigy and holding the record for being t…

Colin Maclaurin, Scottish mathematician (born 1698)

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

War of the Austrian Succession: New England colonial troops under the command of William Pepperrell capture the Fortress

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: New England colonial troops under the command of William Pepperrell capture the Fortress

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

Caspar Wessel, Norwegian-Danish mathematician and cartographer (died 1818)

Caspar Wessel was a Danish–Norwegian mathematician and cartographer. In 1799, Wessel was the first person to describe the geometrical interpretation of complex numbers as points in…

Caspar Wessel, Norwegian-Danish mathematician and cartographer (died 1818)

1745

François-Marie, 1st duc de Broglie, French general (born 1671)

François Marie de Broglie, 1st Duke of Broglie was a French Royal Army officer and diplomat.

François-Marie, 1st duc de Broglie, French general (born 1671)

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)

1745

War of the Austrian Succession: French forces defeated those of the Pragmatic Allies at the Battle of Fontenoy in the Au

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: French forces defeated those of the Pragmatic Allies at the Battle of Fontenoy in the Au

1744

James Sullivan, American lawyer and politician, 7th Governor of Massachusetts (died 1808)

James Sullivan was an American lawyer and politician in Massachusetts. He was an early associate justice of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, served as the state's attorney…

James Sullivan, American lawyer and politician, 7th Governor of Massachusetts (died 1808)

1744

Princess Charlotte Amalie Wilhelmine of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Plön (died 1770)

Charlotte Amalie Wilhelmine of (Schleswig-)Holstein-Plön, was a princess of the Duchy of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Plön, a cadet branch of the Danish royal family. She was born…

Princess Charlotte Amalie Wilhelmine of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Plön (died 1770)

1744

Patrick Ferguson, Scottish soldier, designed the Ferguson rifle (died 1780)

Major Patrick Ferguson was a British Army officer who designed the Ferguson rifle. He is best known for his service in the 1780 military campaign of Charles Cornwallis during the A…

Patrick Ferguson, Scottish soldier, designed the Ferguson rifle (died 1780)

1744

Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, German-born Queen to George III of the United Kingdom (died 1818)

Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz was Queen of Great Britain and Ireland as the wife of King George III from their marriage on 8 September 1761 until her death in 1818. The Acts of…

Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, German-born Queen to George III of the United Kingdom (died 1818)

1744

Anders Celsius, Swedish astronomer, physicist, and mathematician (born 1701)

Anders Celsius was a Swedish astronomer, physicist and mathematician. He was professor of astronomy at Uppsala University from 1730 to 1744, but traveled from 1732 to 1735 visiting…

Anders Celsius, Swedish astronomer, physicist, and mathematician (born 1701)

1744

Alexander Pope, English poet, essayist, and translator (born 1688)

Alexander Pope was an English poet, translator, and satirist of the Enlightenment era who is considered one of the most prominent English poets of the early 18th century. An expone…

Alexander Pope, English poet, essayist, and translator (born 1688)

1743

Maria Theresa of Austria is crowned Queen of Bohemia after defeating her rival, Charles VII, Holy Roman Emperor

Maria Theresa was the ruler of the Habsburg monarchy from 1740 until her death in 1780, and the only woman to hold the position in her own right. She was the sovereign of Austria, …

Maria Theresa of Austria is crowned Queen of Bohemia after defeating her rival, Charles VII, Holy Roman Emperor

1743

Jean-Pierre Christin developed the centigrade temperature scale

Jean-Pierre Christin was a French physicist, mathematician, astronomer, and musician. His proposal in 1743 to reverse the Celsius thermometer scale was widely accepted and is still…

Jean-Pierre Christin developed the centigrade temperature scale

1743

Edmund Cartwright, English clergyman and engineer, invented the power loom (died 1823)

Edmund Cartwright was an English inventor. He graduated from Oxford University and went on to invent the power loom. Married to local Elizabeth McMac at 19, he was the brother of M…

Edmund Cartwright, English clergyman and engineer, invented the power loom (died 1823)

1743

Seth Warner, American colonel (died 1784)

Seth Warner was an American soldier. He was a Revolutionary War officer from Vermont who rose to the rank of Continental colonel and was often given the duties of a brigade comman…

Seth Warner, American colonel (died 1784)

1743

Jean-Paul Marat, Swiss-French physician, journalist, and politician (died 1793)

Jean-Paul Marat was a French political theorist, physician, and scientist. A journalist and politician during the French Revolution, he was a vigorous defender of the sans-culottes…

Jean-Paul Marat, Swiss-French physician, journalist, and politician (died 1793)