Births on October 29

James Boswell

Born on October 29, 1740

James Boswell, Scottish lawyer and author (d. 1795)

James Boswell, 9th Laird of Auchinleck (; 29 October 1740 (N.S.) – 19 May 1795), was a Scottish biographer, diarist, and lawyer, born in Edinburgh. He is best known for his biography of his friend and older contemporary the English writer Samuel Johnson, which is commonly said to be the greatest biography written in the English language. A great mass of Boswell's diaries, letters and private papers were recovered from the 1920s to the 1950s, and their ongoing publication by Yale University has transformed his reputation.

References

James Boswell

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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 October 29

James Boswell

Born on October 29, 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