1747

Events 
Afghanistan becomes independent from Persia.
February 11 – A combined French and Indian force, commanded by Coulon de Villiers, attacks British troops at Grand Pré, Nova Scotia.
 April 9 – The Scottish Jacobite Lord Lovat was beheaded by axe on Tower Hill, London, for high treason.
 May 14 – War of the Austrian Succession: First battle of Cape Finisterre.
 June 9 – Emperor Momozono rises to power in Japan, after Emperor Sakuramachi.

 Births 
 January 15 – John Aikin, English doctor and writer (died 1822)
 January 19 – Johann Elert Bode, German astronomer (died 1826)
 January 26 – Samuel Parr, English schoolmaster (died 1825)
 February 19 – John "Walking" Stewart, traveller and philosopher (died 1822)
 February 21 – Eugenio Espejo, Ecuadorian scientist (died 1795)
 May 5 – Leopold II, Holy Roman Emperor (died 1792)
 July 6 – John Paul Jones, American naval captain (died 1792)
 October 8 – Jean-François Rewbell, French politician (died 1807)
 December 12 – Anna Seward, English writer (died 1809)

 Deaths 
 January 16 – Barthold Heinrich Brockes, German poet (born 1680)
 March 16 – Christian Augustus of Anhalt-Zerbst, father of Catherine II of Russia (born 1690)
 March 23 – Claude Alexandre de Bonneval, French soldier (born 1675)
 April 2 – Johann Jacob Dillenius, German botanist (born 1684)
 April 7 – Leopold I, Prince of Anhalt-Dessau, Prussian field marshal (born 1676)
 May 28 – Luc de Clapiers, marquis de Vauvenargues, French writer (born 1715)
 May 31 – Andrei Osterman, Russian statesman (born 1686)
 June – Nadir Shah, Persian leader (born 1688)
 June 19 – Alessandro Marcello, Italian composer (born 1669)
 July 9 – Giovanni Bononcini, Italian composer (born 1670)
 October 10 – John Potter, Archbishop of Canterbury (born c.1674)
 November 17 – Alain-René Le Sage, French writer (born 1668)
 December 2 – Vincent Bourne, English classical scholar (born 1695)