1690
Locke's Essay Concerning Human Understanding
John Locke published a long meditation arguing that the human mind begins as a blank slate and derives all knowledge from experience.
Job Charnock Founds Calcutta
An East India Company agent named Job Charnock, after years of diplomatic humiliations, re-established the Company's Bengal trading post at three villages…
Battle of the Boyne
William III defeated his father-in-law the deposed James II at a river crossing in eastern Ireland.
Denis Papin Builds a Piston Engine
The French physicist Denis Papin, working in Germany, built a small atmospheric engine in which steam condensed beneath a piston and pulled it down.
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Frequently asked
What happened in the year 1690?
Saeculum lists 4 events from 1690. The most significant is Locke's Essay Concerning Human Understanding: John Locke published a long meditation arguing that the human mind begins as a blank slate and derives all knowledge from experience.
What era was 1690 part of?
1690 falls within the Enlightenment (1651-1800). Reason, revolution, and the first global wars.
Which regions saw notable events in 1690?
The events from 1690 span Europe and South Asia.