History
1704
General
Population: 649 Million*
- Entertainment: Writers include George Farquhar (comedy), Jean François Regnard (manners comedy), Jonathan Swift, William Qycherly (poetry),
Dictionary of Trevost published by Jesuits, Raimondo Montecuccoli (posthumous memoirs), Voltaire enters Jesuit college, Daniel Defoe starts weekly newspaper while imprisoned
Music includes JS Bach (first cantata), Handel "St. John Passion"
- Exploration: Privateer Alexander Selkirk (Robinson Crusoe) shipwrecked for nearly five years
- Science: John Harris writes encyclopedia of the sciences
Isaac Newton writes Optics to explain theory of light
Valentini publishes on true and false unicorn horns
- Deaths: Philosopher John Locke, Composer Heinrich Ignaz Franz von Biber, Virginia Planter WIlliam Byrd I, Journalist Sir Roger L'Estrange
Europe
- General: English, Dutch, Bavarian and Austrian troops defeat French and save Austria
- England: French routed in War of Spanish Succession at battle of Blenheim – Queen Anne holds service at St. Paul's honoring General Churchill Earl of Marlborough –
England's greatest victory since Henry V at Agincourt
Gibraltar taken as part of War of Spanish Succession
Beau Nash becomes master of ceremonies at Bath
Jeremiah Clarke becomes organist at Chapel Royal
Darley Arabian – greatest racehorce of its time arrives in England from Aleppo
- German States: Earliest subscription library in Berlin
"Vossische Zeitung" in Berlin until 1933
- Poland: Augustus II of Poland deposed – Stanislas Leszczynski elected King Stanislas I
- Russia: Peter the Great takes Dorpat Narva
East
- Connecticut: French and Indians massacre 56 inhabitants of Deerfield
- Massachusetts: Boston NewsLetter weekly begins publication - first surviving American newspaper/periodical
South