Famous People Born In 1741

Joseph II reigned as the Holy Roman Emperor from 1765, and as the sole ruler of the Habsburg lands from 1780, until 1790. Son of Empress Maria Theresa and Emperor Francis I, and brother of Marie Antoinette, he laid down policies now known as Josephinism. He died without heirs.

Benedict Arnold was an American military officer who betrayed his country when he joined the British forces in 1780. Because of his betrayal, his name became synonymous with traitory in the United States. His story of betrayal has been depicted in popular culture and he has been portrayed by actors like Owain Yeoman and Ciarán Owens.

One of the two women founder members of London’s Royal Academy, Angelica Kauffman was born to a painter father in Switzerland and was quite a prodigy, who mastered several languages and the arts of music and painting quite quickly. The history painter is best remembered for her landscapes and portraits.

Swiss artist Henry Fuseli is remembered for the drama and sensuality showcased in his paintings. Though born to a landscape and portrait painter, he was initially taught theology. After leaving the country due to political risks, he made it to Britain and Italy. He later contributed to the Boydell Shakespeare Gallery.

Jean-François de Galaup, comte de Lapérouse served the French Navy for over three- decades and participated in several wars including Seven Years' War and American Revolutionary War. He was inducted to lead a scientific expedition across the world which saw him sailing to places like Chile, California, Japan, Russia, and Australia, before his ships wrecked on reefs of Vanikoro island.  

The first son of Emperor Sakuramachi, Emperor Momozono was known as Toohito before he took over the Chrysanthemum Throne. He witnessed the Hōreki Scandal, in which a lot of young nobles were punished for supporting the restoration of direct Imperial rule. He died at the tender age of 22.

A close associate of Samuel Johnson, Hester Thrale was married to an affluent brewer named Henry Thrale but, following Henry’s death, got married to her daughter’s Italian music teacher. A renowned diarist, she released volumes of letters and anecdotes of Samuel Johnson after Johnson’s death.

Samuel Chase was one of the founding fathers of the USA. From 1796 to 1811, he served as the Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court. He was also a signatory to the United States Declaration of Independence.

Étienne de Boré was a Creole French planter best remembered for producing Louisiana's first granulated sugar. His innovation encouraged planters to cultivate sugar cane in large quantities as it helped make sugar cane profitable as a commodity.

Born to a surgeon, William Withering followed in his father’s footsteps to become a physician, though he also had immense knowledge of botany, geology, and chemistry. He not only treated edema, or dropsy, with the help of the foxglove plant but also studied scarlet fever and suggested rum as a medical substitute.

German naturalist Peter Simon Pallas was born to a professor of surgery and had, by age 15, formulated classifications of several animal groups. He chiefly worked in and around Russia, and is remembered for his 3-volume geological study, Journey Through Various Provinces of the Russian Empire.

Aagje Deken was a Dutch writer best remembered for her association with famous novelist Betje Wolff. Deken and Wolff lived together and published many popular epistolary novels like Willem Levend and Sara Burgerhart.

Jean-Antoine Houdon was a French sculptor best remembered for his statues and portrait busts of philosophers, political figures, and inventors. During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, his sculptures were used as a reference for imprinting portraits of prominent personalities on various U.S. postage stamps.

José Cadalso was a colonel of the Royal Spanish Army in the 18th century. He was also a well-known author, playwright, poet, and essayist. As an army man, he traveled through Italy, Germany, England, France, and Portugal and studied the literature of these countries. He is credited to have made massive contributions to Spanish Enlightenment literature. 

Best known for his research on physiognomy, Johann Kaspar Lavater was also a theologian and an author. He had penned books such as Aussichten in die Ewigkeit and several epic and lyric poems. He died of a grenade wound during the French occupation of Switzerland.

William Brodie was a Scottish cabinet-maker, Edinburgh city councilor, and deacon of a trades guild. Brodie was also a housebreaker, a secret which he maintained almost all his life. He used the stolen money to fund his gambling habit and to maintain the household of his two mistresses. He was captured in 1788 and was sentenced to death by hanging.

André Grétry was a composer best remembered for his opéras comiques. Although he was born in present-day Belgium, Grétry took French nationality and worked in France for most part of his life. While he was still alive, a commemorative statue was commissioned by Hippolyte, comte de Livry in 1804. The statue is now part of the Met in New York.

English agriculturist Arthur Young was a prolific English writer, particularly on agriculture. He earned repute for views he expressed as an agricultural improver, social observer and political economist. Young was a prominent opponent of British reformers. Some of his notable books are Annals of Agriculture, Tour in Ireland and Travels in France. The latter includes descriptions of the French Revolution.    

Polish lyric poet of the Enlightenment era, Franciszek Karpiński is best remembered for his religious hymns and patriotic verses. Initially a court poet, he later retired to his farm. The Polish Christmas carol God is Born remains one of his best works. He mentioned a certain Justina in many of his poems.