Births on February 17

Horace-Bénédict de Saussure

Born on February 17, 1740

Horace-Bénédict de Saussure, Swiss physicist and meteorologist (d. 1799)

Horace Bénédict de Saussure (17 February 1740 – 22 January 1799) was a Genevan geologist, meteorologist, physicist, mountaineer and Alpine explorer, often called the founder of alpinism and modern meteorology, and considered to be the first person to build a successful solar oven.

References

Horace-Bénédict de Saussure

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Events on 1740

8 Apr

Action of 8 April 1740
War of Jenkins' Ear: Three British ships capture the Spanish third-rate Princesa, taken into service as HMS Princess.
13 Jun

Siege of St. Augustine (1740)
Georgia provincial governor James Oglethorpe begins an unsuccessful attempt to take Spanish Florida during the Siege of St. Augustine.
11 Jul

Jews
Pogrom: Jews are expelled from Little Russia.
9 Oct

1740 Batavia massacre
Dutch colonists and various slave groups begin massacring ethnic Chinese in Batavia, eventually killing 10,000 and leading to a two-year-long war throughout Java.
20 Oct

War of the Austrian Succession
Maria Theresa takes the throne of Austria. France, Prussia, Bavaria and Saxony refuse to honour the Pragmatic Sanction and the War of the Austrian Succession begins.

Births on February 17

Horace-Bénédict de Saussure

Born on February 17, 1740

References

Choose Another Date

Events on 1740

Action of 8 April 1740

Siege of St. Augustine (1740)

Jews

1740 Batavia massacre

War of the Austrian Succession