Using microscopes of his own making, Antonie van Leeuwenhoek describes single-celled organisms in water and reports them to the Royal Society.
A coalition army led by King John III Sobieski of Poland relieves the siege of Vienna, defeating the Ottomans and halting their advance into Central Europe.
A fire starting in a bakery on Pudding Lane destroys much of the medieval City of London, including Old St Paul's Cathedral.
Isaac Newton publishes "Philosophiæ Naturalis Principia Mathematica", setting out the laws of motion and universal gravitation.
James II is deposed and William III and Mary II take the throne; the Bill of Rights of 1689 limits royal power and strengthens Parliament.
After besieging Fort Zeelandia, Koxinga forces the Dutch East India Company to surrender and establishes the Kingdom of Tungning.
The monarchy is restored in England, Scotland and Ireland as Charles II returns to London to take the throne.