* 1686 – John Balguy, English philosopher ( d. 1748 )

* 1686 – Eustace Budgell, English writer ( d. 1737 )

* 1686 – Vasily Tatishchev, Russian statesman ( d. 1750 )

:* John Churchill, Marquess of Blandford ( 1686 – 1703 ), elder son of the 1st Duke, died unmarried

Daniel Gabriel Fahrenheit ( 24 May 1686 – 16 September 1736 ) was a Dutch-German-Polish physicist, engineer, and glass blower who is best known for inventing the alcohol thermometer ( 1709 ) and the mercury thermometer ( 1714 ), and for developing a temperature scale now named after him.

* 1612 – John Pearson, English theologian ( d. 1686 )

Fahrenheit is the temperature scale proposed in 1724 by, and named after, the physicist Daniel Gabriel Fahrenheit ( 1686 – 1736 ).

Nicolas Steno ( 1638 – 1686 ) is credited with the law of superposition, the principle of original horizontality, and the principle of lateral continuity: three defining principles of stratigraphy.

* George Clinton ( Royal Navy officer ) ( 1686 – 1761 ), British colonial governor of New York

Allan Ramsay ( 1686 – 1758 ) laid the foundations of a reawakening of interest in older Scottish literature, as well as leading the trend for pastoral poetry, helping to develop the Habbie stanza as a poetic form.

* 1703: William Frederick ( before 1686 – 1723 )

Hammurabi ( Akkadian from Amorite ʻAmmurāpi, " the kinsman is a healer ", from ʻAmmu, " paternal kinsman ", and Rāpi, " healer "; ( died c. 1750 BC ) was the sixth king of Babylon ( that is, of the First Babylonian Dynasty ) from 1792 BC to 1750 BC middle chronology ( 1728 BC – 1686 BC short chronology ).

* 1686 – Jean Mairet, French dramatist ( b. 1604 )

* 1614 – Arthur Annesley, 1st Earl of Anglesey, Irish statesman ( d. 1686 )

* 1638 – Nicolas Steno, Danish scientist ( d. 1686 )

* 1686 – Antoine de Jussieu, French naturalist ( d. 1758 )

* 1686 – Philip Livingston, American politician ( d. 1749 )

* 1686 – Archibald Bower, Scottish historian ( d. 1766 )

* 1686 – Albany, New York is formally chartered as a municipality by Governor Thomas Dongan.

* Peter Estenberg ( 1686 – 1740 ), Greek Scholar, Professor, and advisor to King Stanislaw ( Stanisław Leszczyński ) of Poland in the early 18th century.

1670 ), however, a distinctly German style came only after 1700 in the works of Silvius Leopold Weiss ( 1686 – 1750 ), one of the greatest lute composers, some of whose works were transcribed for keyboard by none other than Johann Sebastian Bach ( 1685 – 1750 ), who composed a few pieces for the lute himself ( although it is unclear whether they were really intended for the lute, rather than another plucked string instrument or the lautenwerk ).

* 1686 – The Municipality of Ilagan is founded in the Philippines.

* 1623 – John Egerton, 2nd Earl of Bridgewater, English politician ( d. 1686 )

* March 30 – Jean-Joseph Fiocco, composer ( b. 1686 )

* March 3 – Nicola Porpora, Italian composer ( b. 1686 )

* July 24 – Benedetto Marcello, Italian composer ( b. 1686 )

Benedetto Giacomo Marcello (; 31 July or 1 August 1686 – 24 July 1739 ) was a Venetian composer, writer, advocate, magistrate, and teacher.

Senesino ( Francesco Bernardi ) ( 31 October 1686 – 27 November 1758 ) was a celebrated Italian contralto castrato, particularly remembered today for his long collaboration with the composer George Frideric Handel.

John Playford ( 1623 – 1686 / 7 ) was a London bookseller, publisher, minor composer, and member of the Stationers ' Company, who published books on music theory, instruction books for several instruments, and psalters with tunes for singing in churches.

* July 24 – Benedetto Marcello, composer ( born 1686 )

* 1686 – Jean-Baptiste Oudry, French painter, engraver, and tapestry designer ( d. 1755 )

* 1630 – Empress Eleanor Gonzaga of the Holy Roman Empire ( d. 1686 )

* 1602 – Otto von Guericke, German physicist ( d. 1686 )

* 1686 – Senesino, Italian contralto castrato ( d. 1758 )

* 1686 – Allan Ramsay, Scottish poet ( d. 1758 )

* 1605 – William Dugdale, English antiquarian ( d. 1686 )

* 1621 – Louis, Grand Condé, French general ( d. 1686 )

* May 30 – John Egerton, 2nd Earl of Bridgewater, English politician ( d. 1686 )

* November 20 – Otto von Guericke, German inventor and Mayor of Magdeburg ( d. 1686 )

* May 10 – Jean Mairet, French dramatist ( d. 1686 )

* September 12 – William Dugdale, English antiquary ( d. 1686 )

** Louis Maimbourg, French Jesuit and historian ( d. 1686 )

** Antonio de Solís y Ribadeneyra, Spanish dramatist and historian ( d. 1686 )

* February 28 – John Pearson, English theologian ( d. 1686 )