- Feb 9 Thomas Otway's "Venice Preserved" premieres in London
- Mar 9 De Italiaanse Opera (The Italian Opera) theater on the Leidsegracht in Amsterdam closes less than 1-1/2 years after opening
- Mar 19 Assembly of the French clergy issues a declaration stating, among other things, that the power of the King is not subject to papal authority
- Jun 10 Tornado in Connecticut uproots a 3 ft diameter oak tree
Philadelphia Founded
Jun 18 English Quaker William Penn founds Philadelphia, in the Pennsylvania Colony
- Jul 14 British composer Henry Purcell appointed organist of Chapel Royal, London
- Aug 24 Duke of York, James II awards the "Three Lower Counties" that form modern-day Delaware to William Penn, ensuring ocean access for his colony of Pennsylvania [1]
Halley Observes his Comet
Aug 26 English astronomer Edmond Halley first observes the comet named after him
- Aug 30 William Penn leaves England to sail to the New World
- Sep 14 Bishop Gore School, one of the oldest schools in Wales, founded
- Oct 19 English Lord Shaftesbury flees to Holland
- Oct 26 William Penn accepts area around Delaware River from Duke of York
- Oct 27 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is founded by Englishman William Penn
- Oct 29 William Penn lands at what is now Chester, Pennsylvania
- Nov 12 Swedish king Charles XI establishes absolute monarchy
Earl of Shaftesbury Flees
Dec 2 Anthony Ashley Cooper, 1st Earl of Shaftesbury flees to Amsterdam following the failure of his plots to prevent a Catholic succession should King Charles II die
- Dec 4 First General Assembly in Pennsylvania (Chester)
Admirals
Aviators
Gangsters
Generals
Industrialists
Suffragists