Famous People Born In 1628

Most people have grown up reading fairy tales such as Little Red Riding Hood and Puss in Boots. However, they aren’t probably aware that these folk tales were first collated and presented under the genre fairy tales, as Tales of Mother Goose, by 17th-century French author Charles Perrault.

John Bunyan, the noted author of The Pilgrim’s Progress, was known for his belief in Puritanism. The son of a brazier, he initially quit school to join his father’s trade. He was later inspired by chapbooks, to write his iconic works and has also become a preacher.

Seventeenth-century Spanish mystic and priest Miguel de Molinos propagated an extreme type of Quietism through his book Spiritual Guide. He believed people should sacrifice their individual wills to make way for God’s will. He was eventually imprisoned for heresy and died in custody, amid rumors of sexual misconduct.

Marcello Malpighi was forced to take up grammatical studies by his father but later earned doctorates in philosophy and medicine. Malpighi revolutionized medical science by discovering things such as taste buds, red blood cells, and the pulmonary and capillary network connecting veins and arteries. Many physiological features bear his name.

Seventeenth-century essayist and diplomat William Temple is best known for his iconic works such as Upon Ancient and Modern Learning and for his association with his secretary Jonathan Swift. An advisor to Charles II, he had also been the English ambassador to the Netherlands and had negotiated the Triple Alliance.

Bahinabai was a renowned Varkari saint from Maharashtra and a disciple of Sant Tukaram. At 5, she was married off to a 30-year-old widower and was herself widowed early. Though illiterate, she evoked a variety of emotions through her oral abhangas, often written down by her son, Sopandev Chaudhari

Pedro de Mena was a Spanish sculptor. He was the son of sculptor Alonso de Mena, who also became his first teacher. He made several sculptures for the convent of St. Anthony Granada, including figures of St Diego, St Pedro Mentara, St Franciscus, St Joseph, St Antony of Padua, and Santa Clara. He also excelled in sculpting nudes. 

Polish poet Zbigniew Morsztyn had a 9-year stint with the Polish army, fighting against the Swedes and the Russians, before he devoted himself to writing poetry. Best known for works such as Domestic Muse, he often wrote about religious experiences and the futility of war.

Johannes Hudde was a Dutch mathematician whose ideas were used by Leibniz and Isaac Newton while working on infinitesimal calculus. Hudde was also known for his work as the mayor of Amsterdam from 1672 to 1703. He pioneered Hudde's stones to measure water level at different points in the city. This laid the foundation for the Normaal Amsterdams Peil (NAP).