Deaths on October 23

Michel Benoist

Died on October 23, 1774

Michel Benoist, French missionary and astronomer (b. 1715)

Michel Benoist (Chinese: 蔣友仁; pinyin: Jiǎng Yǒurén, 8 October 1715 in Dijon, France – 23 October 1774 in Beijing, China) was a Jesuit scientist who served for thirty years in the court of the Qianlong Emperor (1735 - 1796) during the Qing Dynasty, known for his architectural and landscape designs of the Old Summer Palace (Yuanming Yuan). Along with Giuseppe Castiglione, Benoist served as one of two Jesuit advisors to the Qianlong Emperor, and transformed parts of the Old Summer Palace into what historian Mark Elliott calls an "imitation of Versailles or Fontainebleau."

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Michel Benoist

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Events on 1774

31 Mar

Boston Port Act
American Revolutionary War: The Kingdom of Great Britain orders the port of Boston, Massachusetts closed pursuant to the Boston Port Act.
2 Jun

Quartering Act
Intolerable Acts: The Quartering Act is enacted, allowing a governor in colonial America to house British soldiers in uninhabited houses, outhouses, barns, or other buildings if suitable quarters are not provided.
21 Jul

Treaty of Küçük Kaynarca
Russo-Turkish War (1768-74): Russia and the Ottoman Empire sign the Treaty of Küçük Kaynarca ending the war.
1 Aug

Oxygen
British scientist Joseph Priestley discovers oxygen gas, corroborating the prior discovery of this element by German-Swedish chemist Carl Wilhelm Scheele.
1 Sep

Powder Alarm
Massachusetts Bay colonists rise up in the bloodless Powder Alarm.

Deaths on October 23

Michel Benoist

Died on October 23, 1774

References

Choose Another Date

Events on 1774

Boston Port Act

Quartering Act

Treaty of Küçük Kaynarca

Oxygen

Powder Alarm