• English poet Samuel Taylor-Coleridge.
• German poet Novalis (aka Georg Philipp Friedrich, Freiherr von Hardenberg).
• Irish musical historian Edward Bunting.
• Controversial Harvard University president Josiah Quincy.
• French Utopian philosopher Charles Fourier.
• English economist David Ricardo.
• The future king of the Netherlands, Willem I.

• Swedish theologian Emanuel Swedenborg.
• English physicist John Canton.
• Quaker writer John Woolman.
• French architect Jean-Michel Chevotet.
• French composer Louis-Claude Daquin.
• French composer Jean Cassanea de Mondonville.

• Austria, Prussia, and Russia each take slices of Poland.  The loose political association of nobles known as the Confederation of Bar is ineffectual; the only country that Poland can appeal to is the Ottoman Empire, which is already fighting a war with Russia; the Russians roundly defeat them.
• Joseph Priestley invents carbonated water. *sip*
• Samuel Adams publishes a leaflet titled On the rights of the Colonists essentially saying the Colonies have a right to break away from Great Britain.
• The smuggling ship Hannah lures the British revenue cutter Gaspee aground in Rhode Island. the Gaspee is then boarded, its crew taken prisoner, and burned.
• The Royal Marriage Act requires all descendants of King George II under the age of 25 to obtain the King's permission before marrying.  Those descendants of George II over 25 are required to obtain Parliament's permission.
• Captain James Cook leaves Plymouth on his second voyage, commanding the Resolution, and accompanied by the Adventure, captaned by Tobias Furneaux.

1771 - 1772 - 1773