Famous People Born In 1742

James Wilson was an American statesman, legal scholar, politician, and founding father of the United States of America. He served as an Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court from 1789 to 1798.  A leading legal theorist, he played a key role in drafting the United States Constitution. He was also a professor of law. 

His mastery of Scottish politics earned Henry Dundas, 1st Viscount Melville the nickname King Harry the Ninth. Apart from serving as the First Lord of the Admiralty and the Secretary of State for War, he also played a significant role in the British expansion in India. He was also a successful lawyer initially.

Elizabeth Freeman was an African American midwife and herbalist. She is best remembered as the first enslaved African American person to win a freedom suit in Massachusetts. After gaining her freedom, Elizabeth Freeman became widely known for her skills as a midwife, nurse, and healer.

James Rennell was an English historian and geographer. A pioneer of oceanography, Rennell is often referred to as the Father of Oceanography. Rennell, who served as a Surveyor General of Bengal, India, is credited with producing some of the earliest accurate maps of Bengal. James Rennell is also credited with co-founding the Royal Geographical Society in London in 1830.

A legend during the American Revolutionary War, Ann Bailey was a British-born American woman, who took up arms to become a frontier scout, messenger and spy. She became a heroine when during the seize of Fort Lee, she made a hundred miles single-person ride through host of besiegers and forestland to get powder supply and thus saved the Clendenin's Settlement.

Yemelyan Pugachev, a Cossack leader, was a significant figure of the peasant rebellion in Russia. Impersonating Emperor Peter III, who had been deposed by Queen Catherine and killed, Pugachev gathered a group of peasants and besieged several major Russian cities, but was eventually sent to Moscow, where he was executed.

Known as the inventor of the now-obsolete Leblanc process, Nicolas Leblanc was employed as a physician when the French Academy of Sciences offered a prize for developing a process, which would turn common salt into soda ash. Using sea salt and sulfuric acid as the raw materials, Nicolas Leblanc soon developed a technique that was widely followed during the 19th century.

Johan Herman Wessel was a Danish-Norwegian poet, playwright, and satirist whose works are characterized by the use of satiric wit and parody. One of his satirical plays titled Kierlighed uden Strømper is performed even today! Johan Herman Wessel is also credited with writing Anno 7603, which is widely regarded as one of the first fictional works that discuss time travel.

Agha Mohammad Khan Qajar was 6 when Adil Shah got him castrated to prevent him from challenging him as a political rival in the future. However, Agha Moḥammad grew up to lead the Qavanlu clan of the Qajars and later founded the Qajar dynasty of Iran.

Born to a German merchant, Carl Wilhelm Scheele was initially trained as a pharmacist but later switched to chemistry. He began his academic career in Sweden. He is best known for discovering oxygen, apart from countless chemical elements such as barium and chlorine and many organic acids.

Jean-Baptiste Krumpholz was a Czech harpist and composer. He is best remembered for composing sonatas and concertos for harp and chamber music. Apart from working as a composer, Jean-Baptiste Krumpholz also worked alongside Jean Henri Naderman, one of Paris' leading harp-makers, towards revamping the construction of the harp. 

Jean Dauberval is remembered for his iconic ballet La fille mal gardée, one of the world’s first comic ballets. The Académie Royale de Musique ballet master has trained numerous ballet legends, such as Charles Didelot, who is also known as the father of the Russian ballet.