The Smoker's Case, by Jean-Baptiste-Simeon Chardin, c. 1737. Louvre, Paris, France.
In 1737, Harvard-educated Massachusetts pastor John Barnard delivered "A Call to Parents." The sermon stressed parental accountability in the religious upbringing of their children. He believed that reason, wisdom, and good sense were the basis for leading children to God. While not explicitly critical of revivalists, his ideology took a stand in opposition to trends that would culminate in the Great Awakening.
January 29 - Thomas Paine is born in Thetford, Norfolk, England. Paine is best known for his 1776 pamphlet, Common Sense, which established his reputation as a revolutionary propagandist.
March 23 - Il Triompho del Tempo e della Verita is performed at London's Covent Garden, with Anna Maria Strata del Po, by George Frideric Handel.
July 9 - Following the death of Gian Gastone, the last of the Medici family are driven out of Tuscany.
Jul 18 - The Turkish army beats the Austrians at the Battle at Banja Luka.
October 7 - 40 foot waves sink 20,000 small watercraft and kill 300,000 in Bengal, India.
October 11 - An earthquake kills 300,000 and destroys Calcutta, India.
