1642

Millennium:	2nd millennium
Centuries:	16th century – 17th century – 18th century
Decades:	1610s  1620s  1630s  – 1640s –  1650s  1660s  1670s
Years:	1639 1640 1641 – 1642 – 1643 1644 1645

Events

• On September 2, the Puritans force the London theatres to close, ending the era of English Renaissance drama.

Births

• December 25 (OS) – Sir Isaac Newton, English scientist (d. 1727)

Deaths

• January 8 – Galileo Galilei, Italian astronomer (b. 1564)