Editing 1749 in science

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{{Science year nav|1749}}

The year '''1749 in [[science]]''' and [[technology]] involved some significant events.

==Astronomy==
* [[Pierre Bouguer]] publishes ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=p1IVAAAAQAAJ La figure de la terre]'' in [[Paris]], describing some of the results of his work with [[Charles Marie de La Condamine]] on the [[French Geodesic Mission]] to [[Peru]] (begun in [[1735 in science|1735]]) to measure a degree of the [[meridian arc]] near the [[equator]].<ref>{{cite book|last=Ferreiro|first=Larrie|title=Measure of the Earth: the Enlightenment Expedition that Reshaped our World|year=2011|publisher=Basic Books|location=New York|page=376|isbn=978-0-465-01723-2}}</ref>

==Biology==
* [[Georges-Louis Leclerc, Comte de Buffon|Georges-Louis Leclerc, ''afterwards'' Comte du Buffon]], begins publication of his {{lang|fr|Histoire naturelle, générale et particulière}}.

==Mathematics==
* April 12 – [[Leonhard Euler|Euler]] produces the first proof of [[Fermat's theorem on sums of two squares]], based on [[infinite descent]].<ref>Letter to [[Christian Goldbach]].</ref>

==Institutions==
* April 12 – Official opening of the [[Radcliffe Camera|Radcliffe Library]] in [[Oxford]], built under the will of the [[physician]] [[John Radcliffe (physician)|John Radcliffe]] (died [[1714 in science|1714]]) (although it does not become a primarily [[Radcliffe Science Library|science library]] until 1810).<ref>{{cite book|page=149|first=Ivor|last=Guest|authorlink=Ivor Forbes Guest|title=Dr. John Radcliffe and His Trust|location=London|publisher=The Radcliffe Trust|year=1991|isbn=0-9502482-1-5}}</ref>
* [[Pehr Wilhelm Wargentin]] appointed Secretary of the [[Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences]] in [[Stockholm]], a position he will hold until his death in [[1783 in science|1783]].

==Awards==
* [[Copley Medal]]: [[John Harrison]]<ref>{{cite web |title=Copley Medal {{!}} British scientific award |url=https://www.britannica.com/science/Copley-Medal |website=Encyclopedia Britannica |accessdate=21 July 2020 |language=en}}</ref>

==Births==
* February 4 – [[Thomas Earnshaw]], [[English people|English]] [[watchmaker]] (died [[1829 in science|1829]])
* February 7 - [[Philippe Petit-Radel]], [[French people|French]] [[surgeon]] (died [[1815 in science|1815]])<ref>{{cite web |last1=Lemaitre |first1=Nicole |title=Petit-Radel Philippe |url=https://cths.fr/an/savant.php?id=120782 |website=cths.fr |publisher=Comité des travaux historiques et scientifiques |access-date=10 March 2021 |language=fr}}</ref>
* March 23 – [[Pierre-Simon Laplace]], [[French people|French]] [[mathematician]] and [[astronomer]] (died [[1827 in science|1827]])
* May 17 – [[Edward Jenner]], English [[physician]], inventor of the [[smallpox]] [[vaccine]] (died [[1823 in science|1823]])
* September 6 – [[Benjamin Bell]], [[Scottish people|Scottish]] surgeon (died [[1806 in science|1806]])
* September 25 – [[Abraham Gottlob Werner]], [[German people|German]] [[geologist]] (died [[1817 in science|1817]])
* November 3 – [[Daniel Rutherford]], Scottish [[physician]], [[chemist]] and [[botanist]] noted for the isolation of [[nitrogen]] (died [[1819 in science|1819]])

==Deaths==
* September 10 – [[Émilie du Châtelet]], French mathematician and [[physicist]] (born [[1706 in science|1706]])
* December 23 – [[Mark Catesby]], English [[naturalist]] (born [[1683 in science|1683]])

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:1749 in science| ]]
[[Category:18th century in science]]
[[Category:1740s in science]]