Years: 1654 1655 1656 - 1657 - 1658 1659 1660

Decades: 1620s 1630s 1640s - 1650s - 1660s 1670s 1680s

Centuries: 16th century - 17th century - 18th century

Events

• January 8 - Miles Sindercombe, would-be-assassin of Oliver Cromwell, and his group are captured in London
• February - Admiral Robert Blake defeats the Spanish West Indian Fleet in a battle over the seizure of Jamaica.
• April 20 - Admiral Robert Blake destroys a Spanish silver fleet under heavy fire at Santa Cruz de Tenerife
• Great fire in Edo destroys most of the city and damages Edo castle
• Academia del Cimento founded in Florence, Italy - first equivalent to a scientific research center
• Oliver Cromwell offered kingship of England, but instead becomes Lord Protector

Births

• February 11 - Bernard le Bovier de Fontenelle, French scientist and man of letters.
• March 24 - Arai Hakuseki, Japanese Confucianist, poet, politician, and writer
• July 11 - King Frederick I of Prussia
• William Wake, Archbishop of Canterbury (d. 1737)

Deaths

• April 2 - Ferdinand III, Holy Roman Emperor
• August 16 - Bohdan Chmielnicki
• August 17 - death of Admiral Robert Blake from old wounds
• Jacob van Campen