1740 births

French nobleman, revolutionary politician, philosopher and writer of erotic works

Dutch French-language writer and composer (1740-1805)

The fifth Emperor of Russia (1740–1741)

Scottish lawyer, diarist and author (1740–1795)

Italian composer of the Classical era (1740-1816)

German poet (1740-1815)

French explorer, naturalist and botanist (1740-1807)

Genevan scientist (1740-1799)

Albanian ruler (1740–1822)

Swedish poet, songwriter and composer (1740–1795)

English physician, naturalist and author (1740-1837)

empress regnant of Japan (1740-1813)

French dramatist and writer (1740-1814)

Russian mathematician (1740-1784)

Chilean priest, naturalist, historian, botanist, ornithologist and geographer (1740-1829)

Italian typographer, type-designer, compositor, printer and publisher in Parma (1740-1813)

father of Ludwig van Beethoven

Prince of Anhalt-Dessau

French soprano

Swedish sculptor (1740-1814)

American general, politician and judge from New Hampshire (1740-1795)

American inventor (1740–1824)

Commander of the Bastille

Russian scientist (1740-1802)

Swedish-German physician (1740–1791)

English composer and organist (1740-1802)

French general (1740-1793)

Duchess of Saxony-Hildburghausen

German watchmaker

singer (1740-1828)

American judge (1740–1799)

German poet

Princess of Saxony and Poland, abbess of Essen and Thorn (1740–1826)

Franco-British painter of Swiss descent (1740–1812), born in Alsace region

18th century American politician, governor of North Carolina (1740-1807)

German ophthalmologist, economist and author

Italian poet and playwright

American businessman

Alsatian pastor and philanthropist (1740-1826)

Portuguese writer

French archivist and revolutionary (1740–1804)

English sculptor, born 1740 (1740–1799)

American lawyer and statesman (1740-1821)

French inventor, older of the 18th-century Montgolfier brothers

Austrian princess

Swedish, Finnish and Russian politician

Spanish Jesuit (1740-1817)

Superior General of the Society of Jesus

Romanian polyglot

Ruler of Kuwait

Russian military personnel of Baltic German origin (died 1807)

apostolic nuncio and cardinal

second Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, Paymaster, comptroller (1740-1809)

French mycologist (1740-1826)

Duke of Oels and Bernstadt (1740-1805)

Ukrainian rabbi.

Peruvian revolutionary

Swiss artist and scientist (1740-1806)

Genevan and English political theorist and writer on constitutional matters

Spanish painter (1740-1809)