Birth of Magician Jacob Philadelphia

Jacob Philadelphia was a magician, physicist, mechanic, juggler, astrologer, alchemist and Kabbalist. Born in 1734 or 1735, his birth name was Jacob Meyer. He was born in Wulfen but claimed to have been born in Philadelphia. Dr Christopher Witt, the associate of Johannes Kelpius, was chiefly responsible for his education. Meyer's patron in England was Prince Henry, Duke of Cumberland and Strathearn, for whom he performed astrology, magic and alchemy.

When he converted to Christianity, he took the name of Jacob Philadelphia in homage to the home city of American scientist and statesman, Benjamin Franklin. He was also known by the names Meyer Philadelphia and Philadelphus Philadelphia. Meyer became a member of the occult Rosicrucian order. After the death of his patron in 1756, he began to perform in public, exhibiting his skills in Ireland, Portugal and Spain. In 1771, he performed in St. Petersburg for Catherine the Great. Also, in Constantinople, he had Sultan Mustapha III as an audience. The year 1773 found him chasing away ghosts for Holy Roman Emperor Kaiser Joseph II, in Vienna at a charge of 300 Thalers. In Potsdam and Berlin, he had difficulty with Friedrich the Great, who was alarmed after Meyer read his mind. Friedrich was also averse to Meyer's Rosicrucianism and subsequently banished the magician from Prussia.

In James Randi's view, Meyer was probably the "first American-born ... magician to attain any fame". He was an early pioneer of phantasmagoria, a performance magic show with a focus on the appearance of ghostly figures. His shows involved "magic lantern, mirror effects and various magnetic and electrical (usually high-voltage) demonstrations."

The Little Treatise on Strange and Suitable Feats was written by Meyer in 1774. In 1758, he toured England. Although he presented himself as being a scientist, many took him for a magician. In 1777 he refused to lecture in Göttingen because of an extravagant, satirical poster campaign by Georg Christoph Lichtenberg who libelled him as being a magician and miracle-worker. Among other things, the poster was designed to make people think that they would be forced into harmful situations if they attended the lecture. Lichtenberg's Avertissement placard became widely known and damaged Meyer's career. His final lecture was given in 1781 in Switzerland. In 1783, he made a business proposition involving the use of occult powers to Frederick the Great, who declined the offer.

Meyer retired to Köthen, Germany, and died there at the turn of the century.

A biographical novel has been written by Marion Philadelphia in German about the life of Jacob Philadelphia. Its title is Der Gaukler der Könige (The Conjurer of Kings).

Birth of Paul Revere

Paul Revere was born on January 1, 1735 (or December 21, 1734 old style). He died in 1818. He was an American silversmith, engraver and folk hero, an early industrialist, Sons of Liberty member and Patriot. He is best known for his midnight ride to alert the colonial militia in April 1775 of the approach of British forces before the battles of Lexington and Concord, as dramatised in Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's 1861 poem, "Paul Revere's Ride".

At age 41, Revere was a prosperous, established and prominent Boston silversmith. He had helped organise an intelligence and alarm system to keep watch on the British military. Revere later served as a Massachusetts militia officer, though his service ended after the Penobscot Expedition, one of the most disastrous campaigns of the American Revolutionary War, for which he was absolved of blame.

Following the war, Revere returned to his silversmith trade. He used the profits from his expanding business to finance his work in iron casting, bronze bell and cannon casting and the forging of copper bolts and spikes. In 1800 he became the first American to successfully roll copper into sheets for use as sheathing on naval vessels.

Birth of Margaret Clive

Margaret Clive, Baroness Clive, (née Maskelyne) was born 26 October 1735 (she died 28 December 1817). She was a British society figure. She went out to India to meet an admirer and married (in 1753) a military hero, Robert Clive (1725-1774). She was in Bengal as their family became incredibly wealthy. When they returned to England the aristocracy did not welcome "new money".

Birth of John Fell Congregationalist Minister

John Fell  was born 22 August 1735 in Cockermouth (he died 6 September 1797 at the Homerton Academy). He was an English congregationalist minister and classical tutor

His father, Daniel Fell, was a schoolmaster, clerk to the dissenting congregation and occasional village preacher. Fell was apprenticed to a tailor, and after serving his time obtained a situation in London. His bent was towards the dissenting ministry, and by the help of the King's Head Society he was placed in 1757 at the Mile End academy under John Conder, DD. The classical tutor was John Walker, DD, an excellent scholar, who took a great fancy to Fell, and gave him private instructions. On leaving the academy he was for a short time assistant in a school at Norwich. In 1762 he was invited to take charge of an independent congregation at Beccles, Suffolk. He preached there for several years, but declined the pastorate, the church not being organised to his satisfaction.

In May 1770 he succeeded David Parry as minister of the congregational church at Thaxted, Essex, where he was ordained on 24 October. This was his happiest settlement; his congregation grew, he lived on intimate terms with successive rectors of the parish and with Rayner Hickford, the Saxon scholar; and he had time for literary and theological pursuits and for private tuition. One of his young tutees during this period was Richard Sharp with whom he formed a lifelong friendship, Sharp writing the Introduction to Fell's 'Grammar' (1784) = see below. Fell's writings in reply to Hugh Farmer are able, but acrimonious. In 1787, on the retirement of Benjamin Davies DD he accepted the post of classical tutor in his alma mater, and removed (September 1769) to Homerton Academy. It soon became apparent that Fell could not get on well with his students. His apologist speaks of a spirit of insubordination in the academy prior to his appointment. Matters went from bad to worse till at the annual examination in June 1795 charges and counter-charges were brought forward. After much deliberation the governing body, in March 1796, insisted on Fell's retirement, either at midsummer or Christmas. His friends drew up a protest, which the majority declined to record. Fell left the academy at the end of January 1797, and was succeeded by John Berry.

Doubtless Fell had faults of temper; he offended some by a rigid orthodoxy, others he estranged by his republican sympathies. Through the exertions of a London merchant Fell was provided with an annuity of £100. A committee of eight laymen raised some £200 as remuneration for a course of 12 lectures on the evidences. Fell had delivered four of these to crowded audiences in the Scots Church, London Wall, when his health gave way. He died unmarried on 6 Sept. 1797 at Homerton, and was buried at Bunhill Fields on 15 Sept., a funeral oration being delivered by Joseph Brooksbank. The funeral sermon was preached at the Old Jewry on Sunday evening, 24 September, by Henry Hunter, DD of the Scots Church.

Works

Confession of Faith, printed with the services at his ordination, 1770, 8vo.

Essay on Love of one's Country, 8vo (Hunter).

Genuine Protestantism, &c., 1773, 8vo (three letters to the Rev. Edward Pickard of Carter Lane, on subscription)

The Justice … of the Penal Laws … examined, &c., 1774, 8vo.

A Fourth Letter … on Genuine Protestantism, &c., 1775, 8vo (in reply to Joshua Toulmin, DD).

Dæmoniacs. An Enquiry, &c., 1779, 8vo (against Farmer).

"Remarks on the Appendix of the Editor of Rowley's Poems", published in Hickford's Observations, &c., 1782, 8vo.

An Essay towards an English Grammar, &c., 1784, 12mo.

The Idolatry of Greece and Rome, &c., 1785, 8vo (against Hugh Farmer).

Lectures on the Evidences of Christianity, &c., 1798, 8vo, two editions same year; third edition, 1799, 8vo (the course was completed by Hunter).

Hunter also mentions reviews of Horne Tooke's Diversions of Purley (1786), and Nicholas Savary's 'Letters on Egypt' (1786), but does not say where they appeared.

James Keir

James Keir was born in 1735. He is best remembered as a chemist and industrialist, but he was also an author, translator, geologist, metallurgist and military captain. He was an important member of the Lunar Society of Birmingham.

Charles Joseph, Prince of Ligne

The seventh Prince of Ligne was born on May 23, 1735 (he died December 13, 1814). He was a field marshall and a writer of several books. You can discover more here.

Rokotov

Fyodor Stepanovich Rokotov (Fedor Rokotov) was born around 1735 (some say 1736) and died in 1809. He was a distinguished Russian painter, specialising in portraits.
Rokotov was born into a family of peasant serfs, belonging to theRepnions. Much in his biography is obscure. He studied art in St Petersburg and after buying back his freedom in the late 1750s became established as a fashionable painter.
In 1765, he was elected an Academician but did not work as a professor in the Academy long, because it interfered with his painting. He returned to Moscow 1765, where he lived for the rest of his life. He had many commissions there, becoming one of the best portrait painters of his time.
Among his best-known portraits are those of Alexandra Struyskaya (1772) (sometimes called the Russian Mona Lisa) and admittedly the most celebrated piece of the 18th-century Russian painting; of Countess Elisabeth Santi (1785) and Lady in a Pink Dress (1770s) - see pic.
Rokotov avoided painting formal portraits with lots of adornments and decorations. Instead he was one of the first Russian painters to advance the psychological portrait with attention to optical and atmospheric effects.

More here and here.

John Adams

This is John Adams who was born on October 30 and went on to become the second American president (and is not to be confused with John Quincy Adams, the sixth president).

Some births

Wikipedia highlights these Jan 1 - Paul Revere, American silversmith and patriot (d 1818) Jan 8 - John Carroll (priest) first RC Archbishop in US (d 1815) John Jervis, 1st Earl of St Vincent, British Royal Navy admiral (d 1823) Jan 27 - Étienne Clavière, French financier and politician (d 1793)

Feb 28 - Alexandre-Théophile Vandermonde French musician and chemist (d 1796)

Apr 13 - Isaac Low, New York delegate to the Continental Congress (d 1791)

May 1 - Lorenzo Hervás y Panduro Spanish Jesuit philologist (d 1809) May 23 - Charles Joseph, Prince de Ligne (d 1814)

Sep 5 - Johann Christian Bach, German composer (d 1782) Sep 20 - James Keir, Scottish geologist, chemist, and industrialist (d 1820) Sep 28 - Augustus FitzRoy, 3rd Duke of Grafton, Prime Minister of the UK (d 1811)

Oct 1 - Augustus Henry Fitzroy, 3rd Duke of Grafton (d 1811) Oct 9 - Karl Wilhelm Ferdinand, Duke of Brunswick (d 1806) Oct 21 - Richard Gough, English antiquary (d 1809) Oct 30- John Adams, 2nd President of the United States (d 1826)

Nov 10 - Granville Sharp, English abolitionist (d 1813)

Dec 29 - Thomas Banks, English sculptor and artist (d 1805) Dec 31 - Jean de Crévecoeur, French-American writer (d 1813)

Date unknown - John Julius Angerstein, English merchant and insurer (d 1822)