Famous People Who Died In 1704

Heinrich Ignaz Franz Biber was a Bohemian-Austrian violinist and composer. He is widely regarded as one of the best violin composers of the 17th century. Heinrich Ignaz Franz Biber wrote operas, music for chamber ensemble, and sacred music. Today, his compositions are widely performed and recorded.

The son of Neapolitan financier Lorenzo de Tonti, Henri de Tonti was a fearless officer of the French army but lost his right hand in battle. He is also remembered as a passionate explorer who helped in the North American colonization campaigns, sailing along Illinois and Mississippi.

Dutch soldier Menno van Coehoorn served the forces of William III, prince of Orange. Known for his book on siege strategies, he had written the widely translated volume New Fortress Construction in a Flat or Low Terrain. A skilled military engineer, too, he built a number of forts for several Dutch cities.

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).

Seventeenth-century Franciscan Roman Catholic priest, missionary, and explorer Louis Hennepin was the first to sail through the Great Lakes up to Illinois and to pen a description about the region. Though captured by Sioux Indians, he was later rescued by a French explorer. He spent his final years in a monastery.