The Netherland Monument at an entrance to Battery Park. Photo credit: Tdorante10

In the year 1626, Sweden defeats a Polish army in Wallhof, Latvia (Jan 7), the director of New Netherland, Peter Minuit, buys Manhattan from a Native American tribe for some 60 guilders worth of trade goods (May 24), the new St Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican is consecrated (Nov 18), Pasha Muhammad ibn Farukh, tyrannical Governor of Jerusalem, is forced out (Dec 1), the Würzburg and Bamberg witch trials, leading to the mass executions of hundreds of people, begin - and all these fine people were born:

1626-0205 Marie de Rabutin-Chantal* a.k.a. Madame de Sévigné/writer of letters/an icon of French 17th-century literature - Paris, France (1696/70)
1626-0218 Francesco Redi* physician/ biologist/poet - Arezzo, Italy (1697/71)

1626-0407 Ole Borch* scientist/ physician/alchemist - Ribe, Denmark (1690/64)

1626-0512 Louis Hennepin* Belgian Roman Catholic priest/missionary/ explorer of the interior of North America - Ath, Spanish Netherlands (1704/78)

1626-0812 Giovanni Legrenzi (B) organist/composer - Clusone, Republic of Venice (1690/63)

1626-1004 Richard Cromwell* statesman/son of Oliver Cromwell - Huntingdon, Huntingdonshire, England (1712/85)

1626-1218 Queen Christina of Sweden* daughter of Gustav II Adolf/patron of arts in both Sweden and Rome - Tre Kronor Castle, Stockholm Sweden (1689/62)
1626-1219 Johan Cajanus* bishop/folklorist - Paltamo, Sweden-Finland (1703/76)

Updated 23.8.2021
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