Editing 1761

{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2011}}
{{Year dab|1761}}
{{Year nav|1761}}
[[File:The Third battle of Panipat 13 January 1761.jpg|thumb|300px|[[Ahmad Shah Durrani]] and [[Najib ad-Dawlah|Najib Khan Yousafzai]] with their coalition defeat the [[Maratha Confederacy]] in the [[Third Battle of Panipat]], which was the largest number of fatalities (100,000 or more) in a single day reported in a classic formation battle between two armies.]]
{{C18 year in topic}}
{{Year article header|1761}}

== Events ==
<onlyinclude>

=== January&ndash;March ===
* [[January 14]] &ndash; [[Third Battle of Panipat]]: In India, the armies of the [[Durrani Empire]] from Afghanistan, led by [[Ahmad Shah Durrani]] and his coalition decisively defeat the [[Maratha Confederacy]], killing over 100,000 Maratha soldiers and civilians in battle and in a subsequent massacre, regaining territory lost by the [[Mughal Empire]] and restoring the Mughal Emperor, [[Shah Alam II]], to the throne in [[Delhi]] as the nominal ruler.
* [[January 16]] &ndash; In India, the [[Siege of Pondicherry (1760)|Siege of Pondicherry]] ends as the [[British Empire]] captures [[Pondicherry district|Pondichéry]] from the [[French colonial empire]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.historyorb.com/events/date/1761 |title=Historical Events for Year 1761 &#124; OnThisDay.com |website=Historyorb.com |date=November 21, 1761 |access-date=2016-06-30}}</ref>
* [[February 8]] &ndash; An [[earthquake]] in [[London]] breaks chimneys in [[Limehouse]] and [[Poplar, London|Poplar]].
* [[March 8]] &ndash; A second earthquake occurs in [[North London]], [[Hampstead]] and [[Highgate]].
* [[March 31]] &ndash; An [[1761 Portugal earthquake|8.5 magnitude earthquake]] strikes [[Lisbon]] in the [[Kingdom of Portugal]], but few deaths are reported because of censorship by the Portuguese government.<ref>{{cite web|title=Landmarks of World History: A Chronology of Remarkable Natural Phenomena: Eighteenth Century 1761-1770|url=http://www.phenomena.org.uk/page29/page38/page38.html|work=The Gallery of Natural Phenomena|year=2010|access-date=2016-02-01}}</ref> with effects felt as far north as Scotland.

=== April&ndash;June ===
* [[April 1]] &ndash; The [[Austrian Empire]] and the [[Russian Empire]] sign a new treaty of alliance. <ref>Herbert J. Redman, ''Frederick the Great and the Seven Years’ War, 1756–1763'' (McFarland, 2015) p422</ref>
* [[April 4]] &ndash; A severe epidemic of [[influenza]] breaks out in [[London]] and "practically the entire population of the city" is afflicted; particularly contagious to pregnant women, the disease causes an unusual number of miscarriages and premature births. <ref>"Relation of Influenza to Pregnancy and Labor", by Dr. P. Brooke Bland, in ''The American Journal of Obstetrics and Diseases of Women and Children'' (February 1919) pp185-186</ref>
* [[April 14]] &ndash; [[Thomas Boone (governor)|Thomas Boone]] is transferred south to become the Royal Governor of South Carolina after proving to be unable to work with the local assembly as the Royal Governor of New Jersey. <ref>"Thomas Boone", by Larry R. Gerlach, in ''The Governors of New Jersey: Biographical Essays'', ed. by Michael J. Birkner, et al. (Rutgers University Press, 2014) p87</ref>
* [[May 4]] &ndash; The first multiple death tornado in the 13 American colonies strikes [[Charleston, South Carolina]], killing eight people and sinking five ships in harbor.  <ref>T. P. Grazulis, ''The Tornado: Nature's Ultimate Windstorm'' (University of Oklahoma Press, 2003)  p217</ref>
* [[May 9]] – [[Exhibition of 1761]], the innaugaral exhibition of the [[Society of Artists of Great Britain]] opens at [[Spring Gardens]] in London<ref>Hargreaves, Matthew. ''Candidates for Fame: The Society of Artists of Great Britain, 1760-1791''. Paul Mellon Centre for Studies in British Art, 2005. p.174</ref>
* [[June 6]] &ndash; (May 26 old style); A [[transit of Venus]] occurs, and is observed from 120 locations around the Earth. In his observations by telescope at [[St. Petersburg]], [[Mikhail Lomonosov]] notes a ring of light around the planet's silhouette as it begins the transit, and becomes the first astronomer to discover that the planet Venus has an atmosphere.  <ref>Govert Schilling, ''Atlas of Astronomical Discoveries'' (Springer, 2011) p41 </ref>

=== July&ndash;September ===
* [[July 17]] &ndash; The first section of the [[Bridgewater Canal]] is opened, for the transportation of coal from local mines to [[Manchester]].<ref>''BBC History'', July 2011, p 12</ref>
* [[August 6]] &ndash; The [[Parlement of Paris]] votes to close all colleges, associations and seminaries associated with the [[Jesuit]] Order, following a long campaign by Louis-Adrien Le Paige.  <ref>David A. Bell, ''Lawyers and Citizens: The Making of a Political Elite in Old Regime France'' (Oxford University Press, 1994) p129</ref> 
* [[August 11]] &ndash; Two years after his marriage to [[Martha Washington|Martha Custis]] and his move to [[Mount Vernon]], American military officer and politician [[George Washington]] advertises a reward in the ''Maryland Gazette'' for the capture of four fugitive slaves who ran away from him: Cupid, Peros, Jack and Neptune, claiming in the gazette that they had escaped "without the least suspicion, provocation, or difference with anybody".<ref>Ron Chernow, ''Washington: A Life'' (Penguin, 2010)</ref> 
* [[August 15]] &ndash; The [[Pacte de Famille#The third Pacte de Famille|Third Family Compact]] is executed by King [[Charles III of Spain]] and King [[Louis XV of France]], as well as representatives of members of the [[House of Bourbon]], King [[Ferdinand I of the Two Sicilies|Ferdinand IV of Naples]] and [[Philip, Duke of Parma]]. <ref> William R. Nester, ''The First Global War: Britain, France, and the Fate of North America, 1756-1775'' (Greenwood, 2000)  p213</ref> 
* [[August 29]] &ndash; Cherokee chief [[Attakullakulla]] and [[British Army]] officer Major [[James Grant (British Army officer, born 1720)|James Grant]] meet at [[Fort Prince George (South Carolina)|Fort Prince George]] in the [[Province of South Carolina]] and begin negotiations to end the [[Anglo-Cherokee War]]. <ref>William R. Reynolds, Jr., ''The Cherokee Struggle to Maintain Identity in the 17th and 18th Centuries'' (McFarland, 2015) p96</ref><ref>Stan Hoig, ''The Cherokees and Their Chiefs: In the Wake of Empire'' (University of Arkansas Press, 1998) p43</ref>
* [[September 8]] &ndash; [[George III]] marries [[Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz]].
* [[September 19]] &ndash; [[Slavery in Portugal]] is abolished.
* [[September 22]] &ndash; George III and Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz are crowned.

=== October&ndash;December ===
* [[October 1]] &ndash; Austrian field marshal [[Ernst Gideon von Laudon]] captures the Prussian town of [[Świdnica|Schweidnitz]] (now [[Świdnica]] in [[Poland]]) during the Seven Years' War. <ref>Thomas Carlyle, ''On Heroes, Hero-Worship, and the Heroic in History'' (University of California Press, 1993) p304</ref>
* [[October 5]] &ndash; [[William Pitt, 1st Earl of Chatham|William Pitt]] is dismissed from his position as [[Secretary of State for the Southern Department]] after having been a powerful part of a coalition government with the Prime Minister, the Duke of Newcastle.
* [[October 30]] &ndash; Colonel [[Henry Bouquet]] issues the first proclamation against Anglo-American settlement on Indian lands in America. <ref name=James>Alfred P. James, ''The Ohio Company: Its Inner History'' (University of Pittsburgh Press, 1959) p118</ref>
* [[November 7]] &ndash; The [[New London Harbor Light]] is first lit to guide ships into the Connecticut harbor; the lighthouse, only the fourth to be built has been in continuous operation for more than 250 years.  
* [[November 11]] &ndash; The [[Charles Wyndham, 2nd Earl of Egremont|Earl of Egremont]], serving as [[Secretary of State for the Southern Department]], initiated a policy which forbids the issuing of any land grants to white settlers in territory occupied by the American Indian tribes. <ref name=James/> 
* [[November 19]] &ndash; A separate peace treaty is signed between the [[Cherokee]] Indians and the [[Colony of Virginia]], bringing the [[Anglo-Cherokee War]] to a close.  <ref>"Cherokee War", by John C. Frederiksen, in ''The Encyclopedia of North American Indian Wars, 1607–1890:  A Political, Social, and Military History'', ed. by Spencer Tucker (ABC-CLIO, 2011) p157</ref>
* [[November 26]] &ndash; A 500-man force from the Army of [[Spain]] brings the revolt of Mexico's [[Maya peoples|Maya]] population to an end, capturing the [[Yucatan]] village of Cisteil, killing about 500 of the 2,500 Mayan defenders and losing 40 of their own.  <ref>Micheal Clodfelter, ''Warfare and Armed Conflicts: A Statistical Encyclopedia of Casualty and Other Figures, 1492-2015'' (McFarland, 2017) p139</ref> The Spaniards arrest 254 people, including [[Jacinto Canek]], who had proclaimed himself as King Canek Montezuma of the Mayas. Canek and eight other rebellion leaders are executed less than three weeks later.  
* [[December 16]] &ndash; [[Seven Years' War]]: After four months of [[Siege of Kolberg (Seven Years' War)|siege]], the Russians under [[Pyotr Rumyantsev]] take the Prussian fortress of [[Kołobrzeg|Kolberg]].

=== Date unknown ===
[[File:Frodsham chronometer mechanism.jpg|thumb|Marine chronometer]]
* The [[Halifax Treaties]] are concluded between the various bands of the [[Miꞌkmaq]], other [[First Nations in Canada|First Nations]] people and the [[Kingdom of Great Britain|British]] in [[Halifax, Nova Scotia]], notably in the [[Burying the Hatchet ceremony (Nova Scotia)|Burying the Hatchet ceremony]] on June 25.
* In [[Dutch colonization of the Guianas|Dutch Guyana]], a "state" formed by escaped slaves signs a treaty with the local governor.
* [[Marine chronometer]] invented as a means to accurately determine longitude.
* [[Matthew Boulton]]'s [[Soho Manufactory]] opens in the midlands of England.
* The music for "''[[Ah! vous dirai-je, maman]]''" ("Ah, would I tell you Mom?") is first published in [[Kingdom of France|France]] by a Monsieur Bouin in his book ''Les Amusements d'une Heure et Demy''; in 1806, English poet [[Jane Taylor (poet)|Jane Taylor]] publishes her poem, ''The Star'', whose words fit the rhythm of the tune and become the children's song ''[[Twinkle Twinkle Little Star]]''.<ref>{{cite book|first=Richard|last=Stokes|title=The Penguin Book of English Song: Seven Centuries of Poetry from Chaucer to Auden|publisher=Penguin|year=2016|page=xiiv}}</ref> 
* [[Faber-Castell|Faber-Castell Company]] is founded by Kasper Faber in [[Nuremberg]], [[Holy Roman Empire|Germany]].
* [[Johann Heinrich Lambert]] finds a [[proof that π is irrational]].
* ''[[Elus Cohens|l'Ordre des Chevaliers Maçons Élus Coëns de l'Univers]]'' is founded.</onlyinclude>

== Births ==
* [[January 17]] &ndash; [[Sir James Hall, 4th Baronet|James Hall]], Scottish geologist (d. [[1832]])
* [[February 1]] &ndash; [[Christian Hendrik Persoon]], South African mycologist (d. [[1836]])
* [[February 3]] &ndash; [[Dorothea von Medem]], Latvian diplomat, duchess of Courland (d. [[1821]]) 
* [[February 16]] &ndash; [[Charles Pichegru]], French general (d. [[1804]])
* [[February 22]] &ndash; [[Erik Tulindberg]], Finnish composer (d. [[1814]])
* [[March 6]] &ndash; [[Antoine-Francois Andreossy]], French general (d. [[1828]])
* [[May 3]] &ndash; [[August Friedrich Ferdinand von Kotzebue|August von Kotzebue]], German dramatist (d. [[1819]])
* [[June 3]] &ndash; [[Henry Shrapnel]], British Army officer and inventor (d. [[1842]])
[[File:John Rennie (Engineer).jpg|thumb|right|110px|[[John Rennie the Elder]]]]
* [[June 7]] &ndash; [[John Rennie the Elder]], Scottish-born civil engineer (d. [[1821]])
* [[October 21]] &ndash; [[Louis Albert Guislain Bacler d'Albe]], French painter and cartographer (d. [[1824]])
* [[October 27]] &ndash; [[Matthew Baillie]], Scottish physician and pathologist (d. [[1823]])
* [[November 4]] &ndash; [[Bertrand Andrieu]], French engraver of medals (d. [[1822]])
* [[November 13]] &ndash; [[John Moore (British soldier)|John Moore]], British general (d. [[1809]])
* [[November 20]] &ndash; [[Pope Pius VIII]] (d. [[1830]])
* [[December 1]] &ndash; [[Marie Tussaud]], French wax modeller (d. [[1850]])
* [[December 24]] &ndash; [[Jean-Louis Pons]], French astronomer (d. [[1831]]) 
[[File:Barclay de Tolly (Dawe).jpg|thumb|right|110px|[[Michael Andreas Barclay de Tolly]]]]
* [[December 27]] &ndash; [[Michael Andreas Barclay de Tolly]], Russian military commander (d. [[1818]])
* ''Date unknown'' &ndash; [[Dido Elizabeth Belle]], British slave heiress (d. [[1804]])

== Deaths ==
* [[January 4]] &ndash; [[Stephen Hales]], English physiologist, chemist, and inventor (b. [[1677]])
* [[January 7]] &ndash; [[Darkey Kelly]], Irish madam and serial murderer, executed by burning
[[File:Admiral Edward Boscawen (1711-1761) RMG BHC2565.tiff|thumb|right|110px|[[Edward Boscawen]]]]
* [[January 10]] &ndash; [[Edward Boscawen]], British admiral (b. [[1711]])
* [[January 26]] &ndash; [[Charles Louis Auguste Fouquet, duc de Belle-Isle]], French general and statesman (b. [[1684]])
* [[February 1]] &ndash; [[Pierre François Xavier de Charlevoix]], French historian (b. [[1682]])
* [[February 6]] &ndash; [[Clemens August of Bavaria]], Archbishop-Elector of Cologne (b. [[1700]])
* [[April 2]] &ndash; [[William Sawyer (cricketer)|William Sawyer]], English cricketer (b. [[1712]])
* [[April 4]] &ndash; [[Theodore Gardelle]], Swiss painter, enameler (b. [[1722]])
* [[April 9]] &ndash; [[William Law]], English minister (b. [[1686]])
* [[April 15]]
** [[Archibald Campbell, 3rd Duke of Argyll]], Scottish politician (b. [[1682]])
** [[William Oldys]], English antiquarian and bibliographer (b. [[1696]])
* [[April 17]] &ndash; [[Thomas Bayes]], English mathematician (b. c. [[1702]])
* [[May 1]] &ndash; [[August Friedrich Müller]], German legal scholar, logician (b. [[1684]])
* [[May 10]] 
** [[James Colebrooke]], British baronet (b. [[1722]])
** [[Richard Edgcumbe, 2nd Baron Edgcumbe]], British baron, politician (b. [[1716]])
* [[May 14]] &ndash; [[Thomas Simpson]], English mathematician (b. [[1710]])
* [[June 2]] &ndash; [[Jonas Alströmer]], Swedish industrialist (b. [[1685]])
* [[June 29]] &ndash; [[Princess Elisabeth Albertine of Saxe-Hildburghausen]], Duchess consort of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (b. [[1713]])
* [[July 4]] &ndash; [[Samuel Richardson]], English writer (b. [[1689]])
* [[July 9]] &ndash; [[Carl Gotthelf Gerlach]], German organist (b. [[1704]])
* [[July 13]] &ndash; [[Tokugawa Ieshige]], Japanese shōgun (b. [[1712]])
* [[July 16]] &ndash; [[Jacob Fortling]], Danish sculptor (b. [[1711]])
* [[August 3]] &ndash; [[Johann Matthias Gesner]], German classical scholar (b. [[1691]])
* [[September 8]] &ndash; [[Bernard Forest de Bélidor]], French engineer (b. [[1698]])
* [[October 22]] &ndash; [[Louis George, Margrave of Baden-Baden]] (b. [[1702]])
* [[October 25]] &ndash; [[Gioacchino Conti]], Italian opera singer (b. [[1714]])
* [[November 21]] &ndash; [[Charles Holmes (Royal Navy officer)|Charles Holmes]], British Royal Navy admiral (b. [[1711]])
* [[November 30]] &ndash; [[John Dollond]], English optician (b. [[1706]])
* [[December 9]] &ndash; [[Tarabai]], Indian queen regent of the Maratha Empire (b. [[1675]])
* [[December 15]] &ndash; [[John Willes (judge)]], English lawyer (b. [[1685]])
* [[December 23]] &ndash; [[Alestair Ruadh MacDonnell]], Scottish Jacobite spy (b. c. [[1725]])
* [[December 25]] &ndash; [[Princess Dorothea of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Beck]], German noble (b. [[1685]])
* ''date unknown'' &ndash; [[Aldegonde Jeanne Pauli]], banker in the Austrian Netherlands (b. [[1685]])

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

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