1721

Events

• Pope Innocent XIII becomes pope
• Johann Sebastian Bach composes the Brandenburg Concertos
• April 4 - Robert Walpole becomes the first prime minister of Britain
• September 10 - Treaty of Nystad is signed, bringing an end to the Great Northern War
• November 2 - Peter I is proclaimed Emperor of All the Russias

Ongoing Events

• Great Northern War (1700-1721)

Births

• February 3 - Friedrich Wilhelm von Seydlitz, general (died 1773)
• March 19 - Tobias Smollett, Scottish physician and author (died 1771)
• April 19 - Roger Sherman, signer of the Declaration of Independence
• April 19 - Thomas McKean, signer of the Declaration of Independence
• December 29 - Marquise de Pompadour, mistress of King Louis XV of France (died 1764)

Deaths

• March 19 - Pope Clement XI
• July 18 - Antoine Watteau, French painter (born 1684)
• September 18 - Matthew Prior, British poet and diplomat (born 1664)
• December 12 - Alexander Selkirk, Scottish sailor, inspiration for Robinson Crusoe
• Henri Arnaud , French pastor and leader of the Waldenses (born 1641)
• Thomas Doggett, Irish actor (born c1670)