1748
| Years: 1745 1746 1747 – 1748 – 1749 1750 1751 | |
| Decades: 1710s 1720s 1730s – 1740s – 1750s 1760s 1770s | |
| Centuries: 17th century – 18th century – 19th century 1748 in topic: Lists of leaders: | |
Events
- April 24 – A congress assembles at Aix-la-Chapelle with the intent to conclude the struggle known as the War of Austrian Succession – at October 18 – The Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle is signed to end the war
- Adam Smith begins to deliver public lectures in Edinburgh
- Building of Sveaborg begins near Helsinki
- Henry Fielding organizes forerunner of the Bow Street Runners – eight men at first
Births
- January 1 – Gottfried August Bürger, German poet (d. 1794)
- January 9 – Stefan Paluselli, composer (d. 1805)
- February 2 – Adam Weishaupt, German founder of the Order of the Illuminati (d. 1811)
- February 9 – Luther Martin, American politician (d. 1826)
- February 15 – Jeremy Bentham, English philosopher and writer (d. 1832)
- February 22 – Timothy Dexter, American businessman (d. 1806)
- February 27 – Anders Sparrman, Swedish naturalist (d. 1820)
- March 5 – William Shield, English violinist and composer (d. 1829)
- March 5 – Jonas C. Dryander, Swedish botanist (d. 1810)
- March 8 – Prince William V of Orange (d. 1806)
- March 10 – John Playfair, Scottish scientist (d. 1819)
- April 12 – Antoine Laurent de Jussieu, French botanist (d. 1836)
- April 27 – Pierre-Louis Ginguené, French author (d. 1815)
- April 27 – Adamantios Korais, Greek scholar (d. 1833)
- May 3 – Emmanuel Joseph Sieyès, French cleric and constitutional theorist (d. 1836)
- May 7 – Olympe de Gouges, French playwright (d. 1793)
- May 28 – Frederick Howard, 5th Earl of Carlisle (d. 1825)
- June 8 – William Few, American politician (d. 1828)
- June 30 – Jacques Dominique, comte de Cassini, French astronomer (d. 1845)
- August 8 – Johann Friedrich Gmelin, German naturalist (d. 1804)
- August 30 – Jacques-Louis David, French painter (d. 1825)
- October 7 – King Charles XIII of Sweden (Charles II of Norway) (d. 1818)
- October 13 – Johann Dominicus Fiorillo, German painter and art historian (d. 1821)
- October 19 – Martha Wayles Skelton Jefferson, wife of Thomas Jefferson (d. 1782)
- November 11 – King Charles IV of Spain (d. 1819)
- December 9 – Claude Louis Berthollet, French chemist (d. 1822)
- December 14 – William Cavendish, 5th Duke of Devonshire (d. 1811)
- Louis Jean Pierre Vieillot, French ornithologist (d. 1831)
- James Sayers, English caricaturist (d. 1823)
- William Leeves, English reverend and composer (d. 1828)
- William Chalmers, Swedish merchant (d. 1811)
Deaths
- January 1 – Johann Bernoulli, Swiss mathematician (b. 1667)
- March 14 – George Wade, German soldier (b. 1673)
- March 23 – Johann Gottfried Walther, German composer (b. 1684)
- April 12 – William Kent, English architect (b. 1685)
- May 12 – Thomas Lowndes, British astronomer (b. 1692)
- July 12 – Botjan Steiner, Slovenian mathematician (b. 1680)
- August 27 – James Thomson, Scottish poet (b. 1700)
- September 21 – John Balguy, English philosopher (b. 1686)
- November 25 – Isaac Watts, English hymn writer (b. 1674)
- December 2 – Charles Seymour, 6th Duke of Somerset (b. 1662)
- Francesco Antonio Bonporti, Italian priest and composer (b. 1672)
Categories: 1748