1768
| Years: 1765 1766 1767 - 1768 - 1769 1770 1771 | |
| Decades: 1730s 1740s 1750s - 1760s - 1770s 1780s 1790s | |
| Centuries: 17th century - 18th century - 19th century 1768 in topic: Lists of leaders: | |
1768 was a leap year starting on Friday (see link for calendar).
Events
- January 9 - Philip Astley stages the first modern circus (London)
- May 10 - John Wilkes is imprisoned for writing an article for the North Briton severely criticizing King George III. This action provokes rioting in London
- Secretary of State for colonies appointed in Britain
- Massachusetts Assembly dissolved for refusing to assist collection of taxes.
- Boston citizens refuse to quarter British troops
- France buys Corsica from Genoa
- Gurkhas conquer Nepal
- First of the weekly numbers of the Encyclopædia Britannica are published; 100 are planned
Births
- January 7 - Joseph Bonaparte, King of Naples and Spain (d. 1844)
- January 28 - King Frederick VI of Denmark (d. 1839)
- February 12 - Francis II, Holy Roman Emperor (d. 1835)
- March 4 - August Friedrich Wilhelm Holtzhausen, German engineer (d. 1827)
- March 21 - Jean Baptiste Joseph Fourier, French mathematician and physicist (d. 1830)
- March 22 - Melesina Trench, Irish born writer and socialite (d. 1827)
- May 17 - Caroline of Brunswick, queen of George IV of the United Kingdom (d. 1821)
- May 20 - Dolley Madison, First Lady of the United States (d. 1849)
- June 9 - Samuel Slater, American industrialist (d. 1835)
- July 27 - Charlotte Corday. French murderess of Jean-Paul Marat (d. 1793)
- September 4 - François-René de Chateaubriand, French writer and diplomat (d. 1848)
- November 18 - Zacharias Werner, German religious poet (d. 1823)
- November 21 - Friedrich Schleiermacher, German theologian (d. 1834)
Deaths
- March 1 - Hermann Samuel Reimarus, German philosopher and writer (b. 1694)
- April 10 - Canaletto, Italian artist (b. 1697)
- June 8 - Johann Joachim Winckelmann, German archaeologist (b. 1717)
- October 1 - Robert Simson, Scottish mathematician (b. 1687)
- October 31 - Francesco Maria Veracini, Italian composer (b. 1690)
- Thomas Secker, Archbishop of Canterbury (b. 1693)