1698 in science

The year 1698 in science and technology involved some significant events.

Astronomy

* Christiaan Huygens, in his posthumously published book "Cosmotheros", argues that other planets in the solar system are inhabited, starting a debate that extends into the 20th century.

Technology

* A steam engine is developed by Thomas Savery (1650-1715), a British engineer, who calls it "The Miner’s Friend" and uses the engine to pump water out of mine shafts.
* The piano is invented by Italian Bartolomeo Cristofori, originally named the "piano et forte" (meaning "soft and loud").
* A metronome was developed, as a machine to measure musical tempo.

Births

* February - Colin Maclaurin, Scottish mathematician (died 1746)
* 26 March - Václav Prokop Diviš, Czech theologian and natural scientist (died 1765)
* May 8 - Henry Baker, English naturalist (died 1774)
* July 17 - Pierre Louis Moreau de Maupertuis, French mathematician (died 1759)

Deaths

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