1657
Great Fire of Meireki Destroys Edo
A fire that began in a temple spread across the wooden city of Edo for three days, consuming the castle keep, hundreds of temples and shrines, and over half the city's residences. More than a hundred thousand people perished. The Tokugawa rebuilt on a grander scale, with wider streets and firebreaks, transforming Edo into the world's largest city.
Huygens Builds the First Pendulum Clock
The Dutch polymath Christiaan Huygens, working from Galileo's unfinished insight, constructed the first practical pendulum clock, accurate to within a minute per day. It was an order of magnitude better than any previous timekeeper. Navigation, astronomy, and the measurement of the physical world all leapt forward with each regulated swing.
Shah Jahan Falls Ill
The aging Mughal emperor's serious illness prompted his four sons to begin maneuvering, then fighting, for the succession. The ruthless third son Aurangzeb, commanding in the Deccan, would eventually emerge the winner. Shah Jahan would spend the rest of his life a prisoner with a view of the Taj Mahal.
Anglo-Dutch First War Ends
The Treaty of Westminster concluded the first Anglo-Dutch War essentially in English favor. The Dutch accepted the Navigation Act and paid reparations. Their merchant fleet was battered but the Republic's commercial power remained formidable. The second round would come within eight years, and the rivalry between the two Protestant sea powers would shape Atlantic commerce for the rest of the century.