Events in History
- Jan 14 Battle at Elvas: Portuguese beat Spanish
- Jan 24 Pierre Corneille's "Oedipe" premieres in Paris
- Feb 11 The assault on Copenhagen by Swedish forces is beaten back with heavy losses
- Feb 16 1st known cheque written (£400), now on display at Westminster Abbey
- Apr 22 Lord Protector Richard Cromwell disbands English parliament
- May 22 France, England & Netherlands sign "Hedges Concerto" treaty
- May 25 Richard Cromwell resigns as Lord Protector of England, earning the nickname "Tumbledown Dick" as a result of his abrupt fall from power
- May 31 Netherlands, England and France sign Treaty of The Hague
- Jun 29 The Russians, led by Prince Trubetskoy are defeated by the Ukrainian armies of Ivan Vyhovsky in the Battle of Konotop.
- Aug 10 Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb has his brother and competitor for the throne Dara Shukoh executed on religious grounds
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Historical Figures Born in 1659
- Jan 21 Adriaen van der Werff, Dutch portrait painter/engraver/architect
- Feb 1 Jacob Roggeveen, Dutch navigator and explorer (1st European to discover Easter Island), born in Middleburg, Netherlands (d. 1729)
- Mar 8 Isaac de Beausobre, French Protestant pastor, born in Niort, France (d. 1738)
- May 16 Campegius Vitringa, Dutch theologist
- Jun 3 David Gregory, Scottish astronomer (d. 1708)
More Birthdays in History