1739

January–March

 * January 1 – Bouvet Island is discovered by French explorer Jean-Baptiste Charles Bouvet de Lozier, in the South Atlantic Ocean.
 * January 3 – A 7.6 earthquake shakes the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region in China killing 50,000 people.
 * February 24 – Battle of Karnal: The army of Iranian ruler Nader Shah defeats the forces of the Mughal emperor of India, Muhammad Shah.
 * March 20 – Nader Shah occupies Delhi, India and sacks the city, stealing the jewels of the Peacock Throne, including the Koh-i-Noor.

April–June

 * April 7 – English highwayman Dick Turpin is executed by hanging for horse theft.
 * May 12 – John Wesley lays the foundation stone of the New Room, Bristol in England, the world's first Methodist meeting house.
 * June 13 – (June 2 Old Style); The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences is founded in Stockholm, Sweden.

July–September

 * July 9 – The first group purporting to represent an all-England cricket team, consisting of 11 players from various parts of England, comes to Kent and loses to the renowned Kent team, led by Lord John Sackville.
 * July 12 – The British East India Company signs a treaty with the Maratha Empire to gain the right of free trade within the territory.
 * July 22 – The Ottoman Empire retakes Belgrade from Austria's Habsburg monarchy after winning the Battle of Grocka.
 * August 20 – The Viceroyalty of New Granada, incorporating modern-day Colombia, Ecuador, and Venezuela is re-established by the royal cedula of King Philip V of Spain, 16 years after it had been dissolved, and adds the territory of Panama as well.
 * September 9 – The Stono Rebellion, a slave rebellion, erupts near Charleston, South Carolina.
 * September 18 – The Treaty of Belgrade brings the Austro-Russian–Turkish War (1735–39) to an end.

October–December

 * October 3 – The Treaty of Niš is signed.
 * October 12 – The town of Utuado, Puerto Rico was founded by Sebastian de Morfi.
 * October 17 – The Foundling Hospital is created in London by royal charter.
 * October 23 – War of Jenkins' Ear: Great Britain declares war on Spain.
 * November 20–22 – War of Jenkins' Ear – Battle of Porto Bello: British marine forces capture the Panamanian silver-exporting town of Portobelo from the Spanish.
 * December 30– Months of unseasonably cold weather begin in Ireland, precipitating the Irish Famine of 1740, known as Bliain an Áir ("The Year of Slaughter"). A January 5 dispatch from Dublin to the Stamford Mercury says "Since last Wednesday we have had the most violent cold Weather that was ever known in this Kingdom; hard Frost began that evening, which has continued ever since with a very stormy Wind at South-East." At least 13% of Ireland's population dies of starvation in the year that follows.

Date unknown

 * Ecuador, part of Real Audiencia of Quito, becomes a part of New Granada, instead of Peru.
 * 84,000 farmers revolt in the province of Iwaki in Japan.
 * A Plinian eruption of Mount Tarumae volcano occurs in Japan.
 * The first Bible in Estonian is published.

Births

 * January 25 – Charles François Dumouriez, French general (d. 1823)
 * February 15 – Alexandre-Théodore Brongniart, French architect (d. 1813)
 * March 16 – George Clymer, American politician and Founding Father (d. 1813)
 * March 19 – Charles-François Lebrun, duc de Plaisance, Third Consul of France (d. 1824)
 * August 31 – Johann Augustus Eberhard, German theologian, philosopher (d. 1809)
 * September 12 – Mary Bosanquet Fletcher, Methodist preacher and philanthropist (d. 1816)
 * October 11 – Grigory Potemkin, Russian military leader, statesman, nobleman and favourite of Catherine the Great (d. 1791)
 * November 2 – Carl Ditters von Dittersdorf, Austrian composer (d. 1799)
 * November 8 – Henrik Gabriel Porthan, Finnish professor and historian (d. 1804)
 * November 20 – Jean-François de La Harpe, French critic (d. 1803)
 * December 14 – Pierre Samuel du Pont de Nemours, French politician (d. 1817)
 * date unknown
 * Antonio Cachia, Maltese architect, engineer and archaeologist (d. 1813)
 * Bénédict Chastanier, French surgeon (d. 1816)
 * Margherita Dalmet, Venetian dogaressa (d. 1817)
 * Paul François Ignace de Barlatier de Mas, French naval captain (d. 1807)
 * Samuel Mason, Revolutionary War soldier, early American outlaw (d. 1803)
 * Karoline Kaulla, German banker (d. 1809)
 * Yelizaveta Belogradskaya, Russian singer and musician

Deaths

 * January 20 – Francesco Galli Bibiena, Italian architect/designer (b. 1659)
 * March 5 – John Joseph of the Cross, Italian saint (b. 1654)
 * March 7 – Anton Maria Maragliano, Italian artist (b. 1664)


 * April 7 – Dick Turpin, English highwayman (hanged) (b. 1705)
 * April 19 – Nicholas Saunderson, English scientist and mathematician (b. 1682)
 * May 10 – Cosmas Damian Asam, German painter and architect during the late Baroque period (b. 1686)
 * June 18 – Charles Frederick, Duke of Holstein-Gottorp, Swedish nobleman (b. 1700)
 * June 20 – Edmond Martène, French Benedictine historian and liturgist (b. 1654)
 * July 24 – Benedetto Marcello, Italian composer (b. 1686)
 * September 8 – Yuri Troubetzkoy, Governor of Belgorod (b. 1668)
 * September 12 – Ernest Louis, Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt (b. 1667)
 * September 19 – Anne Marie Louise de La Tour d'Auvergne, French princess (b. 1722)
 * October 6 – Françoise Charlotte d'Aubigné, French noble (b. 1684)
 * October 18 – Antônio José da Silva, Brazilian-born dramatist (b. 1705)
 * November 14 – Juan de Galavís, Spanish Catholic archbishop (b. 1683)
 * November 16 – Harry Grey, 3rd Earl of Stamford, English peer (b. 1685)
 * date unknown – Anne Dodd, English news seller, pamphlet shop proprietor (b. 1685)