Famous People Born In 1723

Widely considered The Father of Economics, Adam Smith was a Scottish philosopher and economist. A pioneer of political economy, Adam Smith played a major role during the Scottish Enlightenment. His book The Wealth of Nations is regarded as the first modern work of economics and a forerunner of today's academic discipline of economics.

Prithvi Narayan Shah reigned as the King of Gorkha from 1743 to 1768. He also reigned as the King of Nepal from 1768 to 1775. As the first ruler of the Kingdom of Nepal, Shah began the unification of Nepal. Due to his efforts to unify Nepal, Prithvi Narayan Shah is regarded as the Father of the Nation.

William Blackstone was a British politician, jurist, and judge of the 18th century. Best remembered for authoring the Commentaries on the Laws of England, Blackstone is credited with influencing prominent American personalities like Abraham Lincoln, James Kent, Alexander Hamilton, and John Marshall among others. His Commentaries, which were cited often in Supreme Court cases, were repeatedly republished throughout the 1770s.

Mir Taqi Mir was an Indian poet who lived during the 18th century. He is credited with shaping the Urdu language and is remembered as one of the most important poets of the Urdu language. Mir Taqi Mir's life and career inspired the 2016 Pakistani biographical film Mah e Mir, in which Mir is played by Pakistani actor Fahad Mustafa.

John Witherspoon was a Scottish American slaveholder, Presbyterian minister, and Founding Father of the United States. A signatory to the Declaration of Independence, Witherspoon also signed the Articles of Confederation. He also played a crucial role in shaping public policy in the United States of America.

Giovanni Antonio Scopoli was an Italian naturalist and physician. He published a number of taxonomic works, such as Entomologia Carniolica, which described hundreds of new species. Giovanni Antonio Scopoli also served as a professor at the University of Pavia and the Mining Academy in Schemnitz.

Frederick ruled as the king of Denmark and Norway in the 18th century. The son of Christian VI of Denmark, he gained fame by improving Denmark’s foreign trade and relations. He also remained neutral in the Seven Years’ War. He was also a patron of the arts.

Ike Taiga pioneered the bunjin-ga style of Japanese painting, along with Yosa Buson. Born to a farmer in Kyoto, he studied calligraphy and was inspired by the Nan-ga school of Chinese art. He was a master of landscapes and portraits such as the screen painting The Western Lake.

Not much is known about artist Franz Anton Bustelli’s early life, except that he worked at a porcelain factory. One of the greatest figures of the Rococo style of art, he created porcelain figures of gods, street vendors, and even Oriental characters. His signature style included the use of rich colors.

Tobias Mayer is best remembered for his extensive research on the Moon and lunar tables, which revolutionized the study of longitude at sea. Born amid poverty, he taught himself math and began his career as a math teacher. He eventually chaired economy and math at the University of Göttingen.

British moral-philosopher Richard Price is best-remembered for significantly editing Bayes–Price theorem. He edited An Essay towards solving a Problem in the Doctrine of Chances, a major-work of his deceased friend Thomas Bayes. It appeared in Philosophical Transactions and included Bayes' Theorem. His work on legacy of Bayes, led Price to get elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society.

Eighteenth-century Welsh poet Goronwy Owen is remembered for his mastery of the bardic tradition, including the meters cywydd and the awdl, thus contributing to the Welsh literary renaissance. A clergyman by profession, he also taught at various schools throughout his life. He also owned a tobacco and cotton farm.

Born to a Scottish father in Sweden, Sir William Chambers initially traveled to Canton as part of the Swedish East India Company. After studying Chinese architecture, he moved on to Paris and then to Italy. The Georgian-period architect was a major pillar of the Palladian style of architecture.

Jean-François Marmontel was a French historian and writer. He was a prominent member of the Encyclopédistes movement. He studied with the Jesuits at Mauriac and taught in their colleges. He began a literary career at the advice of Voltaire and wrote a series of tragedies, including Cleopâtre and Heraclides. He was a member of Les Neuf Sœurs, a masonic lodge.