Who Was Alive in 1766

25 of 492 historical figures were alive in 1766

VoltaireAge 72

1694–1778 · Philosophy & Thought

Enlightenment writer and philosopher

Benjamin FranklinAge 60

1706–1790 · Science & Invention

Founding Father, electricity experiments

Carl LinnaeusAge 59

1707–1778 · Science & Invention

Father of modern taxonomy

Leonhard EulerAge 59

1707–1783 · Science & Invention

Prolific Swiss mathematician

Jean-Jacques RousseauAge 54

1712–1778 · Philosophy & Thought

Enlightenment philosopher of The Social Contract

Frederick the GreatAge 54

1712–1786 · Politics & Leadership

King of Prussia and military strategist

Adam SmithAge 43

1723–1790 · Philosophy & Thought

Economist, author of The Wealth of Nations

Immanuel KantAge 42

1724–1804 · Philosophy & Thought

Critique of Pure Reason

Captain James CookAge 38

1728–1779 · Exploration

Mapped the Pacific, reached Australia

Catherine the GreatAge 37

1729–1796 · Politics & Leadership

Empress who expanded Russia

George WashingtonAge 34

1732–1799 · Politics & Leadership

First US President

Joseph HaydnAge 34

1732–1809 · Music

Father of the symphony and string quartet

John AdamsAge 31

1735–1826 · Politics & Leadership

Second US president and Founding Father

James WattAge 30

1736–1819 · Science & Invention

Improved the steam engine

Thomas JeffersonAge 23

1743–1826 · Politics & Leadership

Author of the Declaration of Independence

Toussaint LouvertureAge 23

1743–1803 · Politics & Leadership

Leader of the Haitian Revolution

Francisco GoyaAge 20

1746–1828 · Art

Spanish Romantic painter

Edward JennerAge 17

1749–1823 · Science & Invention

Pioneer of the smallpox vaccine

Johann Wolfgang von GoetheAge 17

1749–1832 · Literature

German poet and author of Faust

James MadisonAge 15

1751–1836 · Politics & Leadership

Fourth US president, Father of the Constitution

Marie AntoinetteAge 11

1755–1793 · Politics & Leadership

Queen of France, executed in the Revolution

Wolfgang Amadeus MozartAge 10

1756–1791 · Music

Musical prodigy, symphonies & operas

Mary WollstonecraftAge 7

1759–1797 · Philosophy & Thought

Vindication of the Rights of Woman, feminist pioneer

Friedrich SchillerAge 7

1759–1805 · Literature

German poet of the Ode to Joy

HokusaiAge 6

1760–1849 · Art

The Great Wave, Japanese master printmaker

Also Born in 1766

John Dalton

1766–1844 · born September 6

British chemist and physicist (1766–1844)

Thomas Robert Malthus

1766–1834 · born February 13

English Christian priest and political economist (1766–1834)

Germaine de Staël

1766–1817 · born April 22

French novelist and woman of letters (1766–1817)

William Hyde Wollaston

1766–1828 · born August 6

English chemist and physicist (1766–1828)

Also Died in 1766

Stanisław Leszczyński

1677–1766 · died February 23

King of Poland (1704–1709, 1733–1736)

Frederick V of Denmark

1723–1766 · died January 14

King of Denmark and Norway from 1746 to 1766

James Francis Edward Stuart

1688–1766 · died January 1

Jacobite pretender (1688–1766)

Johann Christoph Gottsched

1700–1766 · died December 12

German philosopher (1700–1766)

Sources

1766 — Wikipedia. Births, deaths and events of the year
Voltaire — Wikipedia
Benjamin Franklin — Wikipedia
Carl Linnaeus — Wikipedia
Leonhard Euler — Wikipedia
Jean-Jacques Rousseau — Wikipedia
Frederick the Great — Wikipedia
Adam Smith — Wikipedia
Immanuel Kant — Wikipedia
James Cook — Wikipedia
Catherine the Great — Wikipedia
George Washington — Wikipedia
Joseph Haydn — Wikipedia
John Adams — Wikipedia
James Watt — Wikipedia
Thomas Jefferson — Wikipedia
Toussaint Louverture — Wikipedia
Francisco Goya — Wikipedia
Edward Jenner — Wikipedia
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe — Wikipedia
James Madison — Wikipedia
Marie Antoinette — Wikipedia
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart — Wikipedia
Mary Wollstonecraft — Wikipedia
Friedrich Schiller — Wikipedia
Hokusai — Wikipedia

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