On This Day
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British writer Horace Walpole, in a letter to Horace Mann, coins the word serendipity

Horatio Walpole, 4th Earl of Orford (24 September 1717 – 2 March 1797), better known as Horace Walpole, was an English Whig politician, writer, historian and antiquarian. He had Strawberry Hill House...

Horatio Walpole, 4th Earl of Orford (24 September 1717 – 2 March 1797), better known as Horace Walpole, was an English Whig politician, writer, historian and antiquarian.

He had Strawberry Hill House built in Twickenham, southwest London, reviving the Gothic style some decades before his Victorian successors. His literary reputation rests on the first Gothic novel, The Castle of Otranto (1764), and his Letters, which are of significant social and political interest. They have been published by Yale University Press in 48 volumes. In 2017, a volume of Walpole's selected letters was published.

The youngest son of the first British prime minister, Sir Robert Walpole, 1st Earl of Orford, he became the 4th and last Earl of Orford of the second creation on his nephew's death in 1791.

Historical Significance

Horatio Walpole, 4th Earl of Orford (24 September 1717 – 2 March 1797), better known as Horace Walpole, was an English Whig politician, writer, historian and antiquarian.

Events Before

  1. Publication of "Species Plantarum" by Carl Linnaeus - the formal start date of plant taxonomy adopted by the Internation

    Publication of "Species Plantarum" by Carl Linnaeus - the formal start date of plant taxonomy adopted by the International Code of Botanical Nomenclature

  2. British Museum is founded by an Act of Parliament with royal assent from King George II, opens in 1759

    The British Museum is a public museum dedicated to human history, art and culture located in the Bloomsbury area of London.

  3. Ferdinand VI of Spain & Pope Benedictus XIV sign concord, Spain recovers the right to appoint bishops and tax the clergy

    Ferdinand VI of Spain & Pope Benedictus XIV sign concord, Spain recovers the right to appoint bishops and tax the clergy

  4. French King Louis XV observes transit of Mercury at Mendon Castle

    French King Louis XV observes transit of Mercury at Mendon Castle

  5. King Louis XV disbands the French Parliament

    King Louis XV disbands the French Parliament

Events After

  1. Samuel Johnson's "A Dictionary of the English Language" is published in London

    A Dictionary of the English Language, sometimes published as Johnson's Dictionary, was published on 15 April 1755 and written by Samuel Johnson.

  2. Lisbon earthquake kills more than 50,000 in Portugal

    The 1755 Lisbon earthquake, also known as the Great Lisbon earthquake, hit the Iberian Peninsula and Northwest Africa on the morning of Saturday, 1 November, Feast of All Saints, at around 09:40...

  3. Treaty of Giyanti / Gianti Java dividing the once powerful Javanese Sultanate of Mataram signed by the Dutch and Javanes

    Treaty of Giyanti / Gianti Java dividing the once powerful Javanese Sultanate of Mataram signed by the Dutch and Javanese princes Mangkubumi and Pakubuwono

  4. 1st steam engine in America installed, to pump water from a mine

    1st steam engine in America installed, to pump water from a mine

  5. Commodore William James captures the pirate fortress of Suvarnadurg on west coast of India

    Commodore William James captures the pirate fortress of Suvarnadurg on west coast of India

More from the 1750s

The International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature establishes the starting point for standardized species names ac

The International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature establishes the starting point for standardized species names across the animal kingdom, based on the binomial nomenclature in the 10th edition of Systema Naturae by Carl Linnaeus

birth

Betsy Ross is born

Betsy Ross upholsterer, known for american upholsterer, was born on 1752-01-01. Elizabeth Griscom Ross, also known by her second and third married names, Ashburn and Claypoole, was an American…

Future 1st US President George Washington (26) weds widow Martha Dandridge Custis (27) at her home, the White House Plan

Future 1st US President George Washington (26) weds widow Martha Dandridge Custis (27) at her home, the White House Plantation in Kent County, Virginia, until his death in 1799 [1]

British Museum opens at Montagu House in London

Montagu House (sometimes spelled "Montague") was a late 17th-century mansion in Great Russell Street in the Bloomsbury district of London, which became the first home of the British Museum.

Frequently Asked Questions

What happened on January 28, 1754?
Horatio Walpole, 4th Earl of Orford (24 September 1717 – 2 March 1797), better known as Horace Walpole, was an English Whig politician, writer, historian and antiquarian. He had Strawberry Hill House built in Twickenham, southwest London, reviving the Gothic style some decades before his Victorian successors. His literary reputation rests on the first Gothic novel, The Castle of Otranto (1764), and his Letters, which are of significant social and political interest.
Why is British writer Horace Walpole, in a letter to Horace Mann, coins the word ser... significant?
Horatio Walpole, 4th Earl of Orford (24 September 1717 – 2 March 1797), better known as Horace Walpole, was an English Whig politician, writer, historian and antiquarian.

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January 28 in HistoryYear 1754