Famous People Who Died In 1684

Born into a family of lawyers, Pierre Corneille, too, initially studied law. However, both he and his younger brother, noted playwright Thomas Corneille, deviated from their family profession. Part of the Society of Five Authors, selected by Cardinal de Richelieu, Corneille later grew into one of the greatest 17th-century tragedians.

English diplomat Sir George Downing, 1st Baronet was the person who lent his name to the iconic Downing Street in London. One of the first to graduate from Harvard, he was initially a preacher and then a military leader. An MP under Oliver Cromwell, he, however, supported the Stuart restoration later.

Metallurgist Dud Dudley is remembered for pioneering the method of smelting iron ore with coke. His invention was a welcome change at a time when the government was way of the environmental damage caused by deforestation in search of fuel. He had also penned the book Metallum Martis.

The son of persecuted Presbyterian preacher Alexander Leighton, Robert Leighton grew up to become the bishop of Dunblane and the archbishop of Glasgow, to unite Presbyterians and Episcopalians. He had also been the principal of the University of Edinburgh. The Leighton Library was formed with his personal collection of books.