Thursday, Jan 8, 2026
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1598 - Johan Georg elector of Brandenburg (1571-91), dies at age 72.
1628 - Birth of François de Montmorency-Bouteville duc de Luxembourg, French soldier.
1632 - Birth of Samuel Freiherr von Pufendorf in Dorfchemnitz, Saxony; developer of the concept of "natural law".
1642 - Galileo Galilei, Italian physicist/astronomer, dies at age 78 in Arceti, Italy.
1651 - Giovanni Battista Gagliano composer, dies at age 56.
1656 - Oldest surviving commercial newspaper begins (Haarlem, Netherlands).
1658 - Birth of Nicolas Coustou French sculptor (Descente de Croix).
1668 - Birth of Jean Gilles composer.
1675 - First American commercial corporation chartered (New York Fishing Co).
1696 - Michael de Ronghe composer, dies at age 75.
