References are numbered in [brackets], which are listed here. A number after the dot gives the page in the source.

Last updated: 2008 April 30.

1740 January 2 Johann Georg Weichenberger composer, dies at 63. [1] January 5 Antonio Lotti Italian opera composer, dies at about 72. [1] February 3 Charles de Bourbon, King of Naples, invites Jews to return to Sicily. [1] February 8 Clement XII [Lorenzo Corsini], blind Pope (1730-40), dies at 87. [1] February 9 Vincenz Lubeck composer, dies at 85. [1] April 23 Thomas Tickell poet, dies. [1] May 31 Frederick-William I king of Prussia (1713-1740), dies at 51. [1] July 11 Jews are expelled from Little Russia by order of Czarina Anne. [1] October 20 Maria Theresa became ruler of Austria, Hungary and Bohemia. [1] December 16 Prussian Libya falls to Silezie. [1] December 26 Mauritius Louis II earl of Nassau Lieutenant-General (12 children), dies. [1] 1741 February 13 Andrew Bedford publishes first American magazine (The American Magazine). [1] Johann Joseph Fux Austrian composer/music theorist, dies at about 80. [1] February 16 Benjamin Franklin's General Magazine (second US Magazine) begins publishing. [1] March 4 English fleet under Admiral Ogle reaches Cartagena. [1] March 9 English fleet under Admiral Ogle begins assault on Cartagena. [1] March 31 Peter Burmannus [Peter Burman], Dutch attorney/classicist, dies at 72. [1] April 10 Prussians defeat Austrians at Mollwitz. [1] April 13 Dutch people protest bad quality of bread. [1] Royal Military Academy forms at Woolwich. [1] May 8 France and Bavaria sign Covenant of Nymphenburg. [1] May 28 Spain and Bavaria sign treaty. [1] June 30 Pope Benedict XIV encyclical forbidding traffic in alms. [1] December 7 Elisabeth Petrovna becomes tsarina of Russia. [1] December 19 Vitus J Bering Dutch navigator/explorer, dies. [1] December 25 Astronomer Anders Celcius introduces Centigrade temperature scale. [1] December 27 Prussian forces took Olmutz, Czechoslovakia. [1] 1742 January 6 Johann Georg Reinhardt composer, dies. [1] January 14 Edmund Halley genius eclipsed by Newton, dies at 86. [1] January 24 German leaders elect Charles VII Albert Emperor. [1] February 1 Sardinia and Austria sign alliance. [1] February 2 British Walpole government resigns. [1] February 9 British ex-premier Walpole becomes earl of Orford. [1] February 16 Earl of Wilmington becomes British premier. [1] February 28 Willem J 's-Gravesande Dutch physicist, dies at 53. [1] April 13 George Frideric Händel's "Messiah" performed for first time (Dublin). [1] Giovanni Veneziano composer, dies at 59. [1] April 23 Mihael Omerza composer, dies at 62. [1] May 11 Francesco Stradivari Italian violin maker/son of Antonius, dies at 70. [1] May 14 Dominique Marie Valet French Roman Catholic/old-catholic bishop, dies at 64. [1] May 17 Frederick great (Emperor of Prussia) beats Austrians. [1] May 28 First indoor swimming pool opens (Goodman's Fields, London). [1] September 24 Faneuil Hall opens to the public. [1] December 1 Empress Elisabeth orders expulsion of all Jews from Russia. [1] December 13 Willem KH Friso tests his mothers potatoes. [1] 1743 January 29 André Hercule Fleury French cardinal (1726-43), dies. [1] February 1 Giuseppe Ottavio Pitoni Italian composer, dies at 85. [1] February 3 Philadelphia establishes a "pesthouse" to quarantine immigrants. [1] February 7 Lodovico Giustini composer, dies at 57. [1] February 8 Comet C/1743 C1 approaches within 0.0390 astronomical units (AUs) of Earth. [1] March 5 First US religious journal, The Christian History, published, Boston. [1] March 14 First American town meeting (Boston's Faneuil Hall). [1] March 22 Jean-Baptiste Lully Ital/Fr composer (Forced Marriage), dies at 77. [1] March 23 George Frideric Händel's oratorio "Messiah" premieres in London. [1] April 16 Cornelis van Bijnkershoek Dutch lawyer (Roman law), dies at 69. [1] April 30 Pedro de Peralta y Barnuevo Peruvian playwright/poet, dies. [1] June 23 Peace between Sweden and Russia is signed at Åbo. Part of south-east Finland is ceded to Russia. Adolf Fredrik of Holstein-Gottorp is elected as heir to the Swedish throne. [7] June 27 English defeat French at Dettingen. [1] 1744 January 15 Charles-Hubert Gervais composer, dies at 72. [1] January 25 Domenico Natale Sarro Italian opera composer, dies at 64. [1] February 8 French/Spanish fleet leaves Toulon. [1] February 9 Battle at Toulon (French/Spanish vs English fleet of Admiral Matthews). [1] February 15 Frantisek Antonin Mica composer, dies at 49. [1] John Hadley inventor (sextant), dies. [1] February 22 Battle at Toulon English-French and Spanish fleet. [1] March 15 French King Louis XV declares war on England. [1] April 25 Anders Celsius Swedish astronomer (Centegrade Thermometer), dies at 42. [1] May 17 French army takes Austrian Netherlands. [1] May 30 Alexander Pope English poet (Eloisa to Abelard), dies at 56. [1] May 31 French troops conquer Kortrijk. [1] December 31 James Bradley announces discovery of Earth's motion of nutation (wobble). [1] 1745 January 4 Willem I Kerricx the Young, Flemish architect/painter, dies at 62. [1] January 6 Bonnie Prince Charlies army draws to Glasgow. [1] January 8 England, Austria, Netherlands and Saxon sign anti-Prussian Quadruple Alliance. [1] January 20 Charles VII Albert German emperor (1742-45), dies at 47. [1] February 5 Coelestin Praelisauer composer, dies at 49. [1] February 15 Colley Cibbers "Papal Tyranny" premieres in London. [1] February 18 Bonnie Prince Charlie's troops occupy Inverness Scotland. [1] Nicola Fago composer, dies at 67. [1] February 20 Bonnie Prince Charlie's troops occupy Fort August, Scotland. [1] March 9 Bells for first American carillon shipped from England to Boston. [1] March 18 Robert Walpole first English premier (1722-42), dies at 68. [1] March 29 Robert Walpole first British premier (1722-42), dies at 68. [1] March 31 Jews are expelled from Prague. [1] April 2 Austria and Bavaria sign peace. [1] May 9 Tomaso Antonio Vitali composer, dies at 82. [1] May 11 Battle of Fontenoy (Doornik): Austrian Succession war. [1] June 4 Prussians defeat Austrians at Hohenfriedeberg. [1] June 17 American colonials capture Louisburg, Cape Breton I from French. [1] December 4 Bonnie Prince Charles reaches Derby. [1] December 5 Christoph Forster composer, dies at 52. [1] December 6 Bonnie Prince Charlies army retreats to Scotland. [1] December 10 Bonnie Prince Charlies army draws into Manchester. [1] December 15 Battle at Kesseldorf: Prussia beats Saksen and Austria. [1] December 17 Bonnie Prince Charles army retreats to Scotland. [1] December 20 Bonnie Prince Charlie's army meets de Esk. [1] December 22 Jan Dismas Zelenka composer, dies at 66. [1] December 25 Prussia/Austria signs Treaty of Dresden; gives much of Silesia to the Prussians. [1] December 31 Bonnie Prince Charlies army meets with de Esk. [1] 1746 January 3 Bonnie Prince Charlies army leaves Glasgow. [1] January 5 Anton Simon Ignaz Praelisauer composer, dies at 53. [1] January 8 Bonnie Prince Charlie's troops occupy Stirling. [1] January 14 Bonnie Prince Charlie's army leaves Glasgow. [1] January 17 Battle of Falkirk, Scotland-Prince Charles Edward Stuart defeated by Scots. [1] January 19 Bonnie Prince Charlie's troops occupy Stirling. [1] January 21 Gottfried Kirkhoff composer, dies at 60. [1] February 4 Robert Blair Scottish poet (Grave), dies at 46. [1] February 10 English Pelham government resigns. [1] February 14 Henry Pelham appointed English premier. [1] February 20 Bonnie Prince Charlie occupies Castle of Inverness. [1] Guillaume Coustou Sr French sculptor (Mary Leszczynska), dies at 68. [1] February 22 French troops conquer Brussels. [1] Jakobijnse troops vacate Aberdeen. [1] February 25 Cumberlands troops occupy Aberdeen. [1] March 3 Bonnie Prince Charlie occupies Castle of Inverness. [1] March 5 Jakobijnse troops leave Aberdeen. [1] March 8 Cumberland's troops occupy Aberdeen. [1] April 16 Battle at Culloden Troops of "James VIII and III" defeat Charles Stuart. [1] April 27 Battle at Culloden Moor Duke of Cumberland beats "James VIII and III". [1] May 15 Giovanni Antonio Ricieri composer, dies at 67. [1] May 22 Russia and Austria signs treaty of cooperation. [1] May 30 Giovanni Antonio Pollarolo composer, dies at 69. [1] July 28 John Peter Zenger journalist, involved in first admendment fight, dies. [1] October 22 Princeton University (New Jersey) received its charter. [1] 1747 January 19 Johann Bode "discoverer" of Bode's Law, dies. [1] February 1 Jacobus E J Capitein Dutch slave/vicar/merchant, dies. [1] March 9 Jacob Campo Weyerman South Netherlands adventurer/painter/writer, dies at 69. [1] April 2 Johann J Dillenius German botanist, dies at 63. [1] April 9 Simon Fraser (Lord Lovat) 12th baron Lovat Jacobite, last man beheaded in England. [1] April 17 French troops occupy Zeeuws-Flanders, Netherlands. [1] April 25 Prince Willem V appointed viceroy of Zealand. [1] May 3 Willem IV appointed viceroy of Holland/Utrecht. [1] May 4 Willem IV appointed viceroy of Overijssel. [1] May 16 Prince Willem V sworn in as Admiral-General of Netherlands. [1] December 9 England and Netherlands sign military treaty. [1] 1748 January 26 England, Netherlands, Austria and Sardinia sign anti-French treaty. [1] February 3 Henri Madin composer, dies at 49. [1] March 19 English Naturalization Act passes granting Jews right to colonize US. [1] March 23 Johann Gottfried Walther German composer/musicologist, dies at 63. [1] April 1 Ruins of Pompeii found. [1] April 12 William Kent English sculptor/architect (Kensington Palace), dies. [1] April 30 Ceasefire at Aken ends. [1] French troops occupy Maastricht. [1] May 7 French troops conquer Maastricht. [1] August 15 United Lutheran Church of US organized. [1] October 18 Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle, ends War of Austrian Succession. [1] December 11 Ewald G von Kleist German lawyer/inventor of condensator, dies at 55. [1] December 26 France and Austria signs treaty about Southern Netherlands. [1] 1749 February 7 Andre Cardinal Destouches composer, dies at 76. [1] February 8 Jan van Huysum Dutch still life painter, dies at 66. [1] February 10 10th (final) volume of Fielding's "Tom Jones" is published. [1] February 28 First edition of Henry Fieldings' "Tom Jones" published. [1] May 2 Empress Maria Theresa signs "Haugwitzschen State reform". [1] May 11 British parliament accept Consolidation Act: fleet reorganization. [1] May 19 George II grants charter to Ohio Company to settle Ohio Valley. [1] June 25 General fast because of drought in Massachusetts. [1] December 10 Gabrielle Châtelet [La belle Emilie] writer (Voltaire), dies at 42. [1] December 19 Francesco Antonio Bonporti composer, dies at 76. [1] December 20 Pakubuwono II susuhunan of Mataram Java, dies. [1]