The 1740s

1741 285 years ago

The Battle of Cartagena de Indias ends in a Spanish victory and the British begin withdrawal towards Jamaica with substa

The Battle of Cartagena de Indias took place during the 1739 to 1748 War of Jenkins' Ear between Spain and Great Britain. The result of long-standing commercial tensions, the war w…

The Battle of Cartagena de Indias ends in a Spanish victory and the British begin withdrawal towards Jamaica with substa

1741 285 years ago

King Marthanda Varma of Travancore defeats the Dutch East India Company at the Battle of Colachel, effectively…

Anizham Thirunal Marthanda Varma was the founding monarch of the southern Indian Kingdom of Travancore from 1729 until his death in 1758. He was succeeded by Rama Varma (1758–98).

King Marthanda Varma of Travancore defeats the Dutch East India Company at the Battle of Colachel, effectively…

1741 285 years ago

Samuel Chase, American lawyer and jurist (died 1811)

Samuel Chase was a Founding Father of the United States, signer of the Continental Association and United States Declaration of Independence as a representative of Maryland, and As…

Samuel Chase, American lawyer and jurist (died 1811)

1741 285 years ago

Maria Theresa is crowned Queen of Hungary

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 is crowned Queen of Hungary

1741 285 years ago

Reverend Jonathan Edwards preaches to his congregation in Enfield, Connecticut his most famous sermon, "Sinners in the…

Jonathan Edwards was an American revivalist preacher, philosopher, and Congregationalist theologian. Edwards is widely regarded as one of America's most important and original phil…

Reverend Jonathan Edwards preaches to his congregation in Enfield, Connecticut his most famous sermon, "Sinners in the…

1741 285 years ago

Aleksei Chirikov sights land in Southeast Alaska. He sends men ashore in a longboat, making them the first Europeans…

Aleksei Ilyich Chirikov was a Russian navigator and captain who, along with Vitus Bering, was the first Russian to reach the northwest coast of North America. He discovered and cha…

Aleksei Chirikov sights land in Southeast Alaska. He sends men ashore in a longboat, making them the first Europeans…

1741 285 years ago

Charles Albert of Bavaria invades Upper Austria and Bohemia.

Charles VII was elector of Bavaria from 26 February 1726 and Holy Roman Emperor from 24 January 1742 to his death on 20 January 1745. He was also King of Bohemia from 1741 to 1743.…

Charles Albert of Bavaria invades Upper Austria and Bohemia.

1741 285 years ago

Andrea Luchesi, Italian organist and composer (died 1801)

Andrea Luca Luchesi was an Italian composer. He knew Mozart and Beethoven.

Andrea Luchesi, Italian organist and composer (died 1801)

1741 285 years ago

Prince Benedetto, Duke of Chablais (died 1808)

Prince Benedetto, Duke of Chablais was an Italian nobleman and military leader. He was the youngest child of King Charles Emmanuel III of Sardinia. He married his half-niece Maria …

Prince Benedetto, Duke of Chablais (died 1808)

1741 285 years ago

François-Hippolyte Barthélémon, French-English violinist and composer (died 1808)

François Hippolyte Barthélemon was a French violinist, pedagogue, and composer active in England.

François-Hippolyte Barthélémon, French-English violinist and composer (died 1808)

1741 285 years ago

Jean-François de Galaup, comte de Lapérouse, French admiral and explorer (died 1788)

Chef d'escadre Jean François de Galaup, comte de Lapérouse was a French Navy officer and explorer. Having enlisted in the Navy at the age of 15, he had a successful career and in 1…

Jean-François de Galaup, comte de Lapérouse, French admiral and explorer (died 1788)

1741 285 years ago

Joseph Warren, American physician and general (died 1775)

Joseph Warren, was an American physician who was one of the most important figures in the Patriot movement in Boston during the early days of the American Revolution, eventually se…

Joseph Warren, American physician and general (died 1775)

1741 285 years ago

Karl Friedrich Bahrdt, German theologian and author (died 1792)

Karl Friedrich Bahrdt, also spelled Carl Friedrich Bahrdt, was an unorthodox German Protestant biblical scholar, theologian, and polemicist. Controversial during his day, he is som…

Karl Friedrich Bahrdt, German theologian and author (died 1792)

1741 285 years ago

Magnus Julius De la Gardie, Swedish general and politician (born 1668)

Magnus Julius De la Gardie, son of Axel Julius De la Gardie, was a Swedish general and statesman, member of the Swedish Hats Party.

Magnus Julius De la Gardie, Swedish general and politician (born 1668)

1741 285 years ago

Daniel Ernst Jablonski, German bishop and theologian (born 1660)

Daniel Ernst Jablonski was a German theologian and reformer of Czech origin, known for his efforts to bring about a union between Lutheran and Calvinist Protestants.

Daniel Ernst Jablonski, German bishop and theologian (born 1660)

1741 285 years ago

Antonio Vivaldi, Italian violinist and composer (born 1678)

Antonio Lucio Vivaldi was an Italian composer, virtuoso violinist and impresario of Baroque music. Regarded as one of the greatest Baroque composers, Vivaldi's influence during his…

Antonio Vivaldi, Italian violinist and composer (born 1678)

1741 285 years ago

Andrew Hamilton, Scottish-American lawyer and politician (born 1676)

Andrew Hamilton was a Scottish lawyer in the Thirteen Colonies who settled in Philadelphia. He was best known for his legal victory on behalf of the printer and newspaper publisher…

Andrew Hamilton, Scottish-American lawyer and politician (born 1676)

1740

Georgia provincial governor James Oglethorpe begins an unsuccessful attempt to take Spanish Florida during the Siege of

The Province of Georgia was one of the Southern Colonies in colonial-era British America. Founded as a British proprietary colony in 1732, in 1751 it became a royal colony. In 1775…

Georgia provincial governor James Oglethorpe begins an unsuccessful attempt to take Spanish Florida during the Siege of

1740

A combined force of Spanish, free blacks and allied Indians defeat a British garrison at the Siege of Fort Mose near St

The Battle of Bloody Mose was a significant action of the War of Jenkins' Ear that took place on June 14, 1740, in Spanish Florida. Captain Antonio Salgado commanded a Spanish colu…

A combined force of Spanish, free blacks and allied Indians defeat a British garrison at the Siege of Fort Mose near St

1740

Pope Benedict XIV, previously known as Prospero Lambertini, succeeds Clement XII as the 247th Pope.

Pope Benedict XIV, born Prospero Lorenzo Lambertini, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 17 August 1740 to his death on 3 May 1758.

Pope Benedict XIV, previously known as Prospero Lambertini, succeeds Clement XII as the 247th Pope.

1740

Sir Francis Baring, 1st Baronet, English banker and politician (died 1810)

Sir Francis Baring, 1st Baronet was an English merchant banker, a member of the Baring family, later becoming the first of the Baring baronets.

Sir Francis Baring, 1st Baronet, English banker and politician (died 1810)

1740

Elias Boudinot, American lawyer and politician, 10th President of the Continental Congress (died 1821)

Elias Boudinot was an American Founding Father, lawyer, statesman, and early abolitionist and women's rights advocate. During the Revolutionary War, Boudinot was an intelligence of…

Elias Boudinot, American lawyer and politician, 10th President of the Continental Congress (died 1821)

1740

Nikolai Arkharov, Russian police officer and general (died 1814)

Nikolai Petrovich Arkharov was a Russian chief of police best known for having given his name to the Russian term arkharovtsy, an ironic appellation of policemen.

Nikolai Arkharov, Russian police officer and general (died 1814)

1740

Giovanni Paisiello, Italian composer and educator (probable; (died 1816)

Giovanni Paisiello was an Italian composer of the Classical era, and was the most popular opera composer of the late 1700s. His operatic style influenced Mozart and Rossini.

Giovanni Paisiello, Italian composer and educator (probable; (died 1816)