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Events on Wednesday 22 December 1666 2
1591 – 1666Guercino (1591-1666)Died 22 December 1666, aged 75Giovanni Francesco Barbieri, known as Guercino, was one of the leading Baroque painters in Bologna, celebrated for dramatic frescoes and altarpieces. He ran a large and prosperous workshop after the death of his rival Guido Reni.
1666Founding of the French Academy of SciencesLouis XIV's minister Colbert establishes a royal scientific academyJean-Baptiste Colbert founded the Academie Royale des Sciences in Paris to promote and coordinate scientific research under royal patronage. The academy brought together mathematicians, astronomers and naturalists and became one of Europe's leading scientific institutions.