Famous People Born In 1630

Shivaji was an Indian warrior-king. He is credited with founding the Maratha Empire, which became a force to reckon with during the 18th century. He is also credited with creating his own navy. Considered one of the most important Indian kings and a hero of the Hindus, Shivaji's life and work have inspired several works of art, including films.

Stenka Razin was a Cossack leader best remembered for leading a major revolt against the tsarist bureaucracy that ruled southern Russia in the 1670s. His objective was to preserve the independence of the Cossacks. Razin's movement turned political and he became a popular symbol of peasant unrest in Russia. Although his movement failed, Razin became a cultural icon in Russia.

Born to a merchant in London, Josiah Child initially worked as a food supplier for the navy. He then rose from being a stockholder of the East India Company to its director and, finally, its governor. A prominent mercantilist, he focused on international trade policies and tax reforms.

Caius Gabriel Cibber was a Danish sculptor who achieved popularity in England. Many of his works, including the statue of Charles II, are on public display in London. He is best remembered for his two lifelike human statues entitled Raving Madness and Melancholy for the gates of Bethlem Royal Hospital. He is also known as the father of Colley Cibber. 

Popé was a Tewa religious leader best remembered for leading the Pueblo Revolt against Spanish colonial rule in 1680. The revolt led by him was successful as the Pueblo managed to keep the colonists out of the territory for 12 years. In 2005, Popé was honored with a statue at the National Statuary Hall.

Kaibara Ekken was a Japanese philosopher and botanist. He is best remembered for translating the intricate writings of Neo-Confucianism into colloquial Japanese. A popular botanist, Kaibara Ekken is also credited with advancing the study of botany in Japan. One of his most influential works is Yamato honzō, a pioneering study of Japanese plants.

Known for his celestial observations and experiments carried out in Cayenne, Jean Richer was a French astronomer, whose works brought about a revolution in the field of astronomy, helping to determine the distances between Earth and Mars, and between Earth and Sun. In addition, they also established that the Earth is actually an oblate spheroid, not sphere, as was believed.

Apart from being an army officer and a physician, Hennig Brand was also an alchemist who was constantly looking for the mythical philosopher’s stone. His research led him to discover phosphorus by accident, which he kept a secret, though it was later formally discovered by Robert Boyle from England.

Born into well-known Tosha family and raised in the traditional Yamato-e background, Sumiyoshi Gukei is considered to be the actual founder of the Sumiyoshi School of painting. He also helped to make Yamato-e popular in Edo and became the first official painter of the ruling Tokugawa shogunate, creating many astounding paintings such as the Scenes of Kyōto and Its Environs.