1759

Events in 1759 3

• 1685 – 1759 George Frideric Handel Baroque opera & oratorio composer German-British Baroque composer best known for Messiah, Water Music and Music for the Royal Fireworks. A master of Italian opera and English oratorio.
• 1759 – 1833 William Wilberforce (1759-1833) Died 29 July 1833, aged 73 William Wilberforce was the leading figure in the British parliamentary campaign against the slave trade and slavery itself, working for decades to secure abolition. He died just three days after learning that the Slavery Abolition Act would pass through Parliament. He is remembered worldwide as a central figure in the abolitionist movement.
• 1759 – 1796 Robert Burns Scottish poet Burns wrote lyrical poetry in Scots dialect and became Scotland’s national poet, influencing Romantic literature.