Events in History Jul 8 Battle of Poltava; Russians defeat Swedes, end of Swedish empire as a major power Birthdays in History Jul 11 Johan Gottschalk Wallerius, Swedish chemist and mineralogist, born in Stora Mellösa, Närke (d. 1785) Jul 20 James Harris, English philosopher, born in Salisbury, Wiltshire (d. 1780) Deaths in History Jul 17 Robert Bolling, English settler in Virginia (b. 1646) 1708 On This Day in History 1710