1694
Bank of England Founded
A Scottish financier named William Paterson persuaded the cash-strapped English government to charter a joint-stock bank that would lend the king money…
Matsuo Basho's Narrow Road Posthumously Published
Three years after the wandering poet's death, Matsuo Basho's masterwork Oku no Hosomichi - The Narrow Road to the Deep North - appeared in its final form.
Huygens Publishes Treatise on Light
The Dutch physicist Christiaan Huygens published his Traite de la Lumiere, proposing that light traveled as waves through an invisible medium called the ether.
Voltaire Born
In Paris, a notary's son named Francois-Marie Arouet was baptized at the church of Saint-Andre-des-Arts.
Queen Mary Dies of Smallpox
Mary II, the half of the joint monarchy whom most English subjects actually liked, died of smallpox at thirty-two.
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Frequently asked
What happened in the year 1694?
Saeculum lists 5 events from 1694. The most significant is Bank of England Founded.
What era was 1694 part of?
1694 falls within the Enlightenment (1651-1800). Reason, revolution, and the first global wars.
Which regions saw notable events in 1694?
The events from 1694 span Europe and East Asia.