Origins & Early Life

Sir William Jones (28 September 1746 – 27 April 1794) was a British philologist, scholar and judge. Born in Westminster to the Welsh mathematician William Jones, he moved to the Bengal Presidency where Jones served as a puisne judge on the Supreme Court of Judicature at Fort William and also became a scholar of ancient Indian history. He is known for being one of the earliest scholars after father Gaston-Laurent Coeurdoux to assert the kinship of the Indo-European languages. Jones also founded the Asiatic Society in Calcutta in 1784.

Pivotal Works & Achievements

William Jones was born in London; his father William Jones (1675–1749) was a mathematician from Anglesey in Wales, noted for introducing the mathematical use of the symbol π. The young William Jones was a linguistic prodigy, who in addition to his native languages English and Welsh, learned Greek, Latin, Persian, Arabic, Hebrew and the basics of Chinese writing at an early age. By the end of his life, he knew eight languages with critical thoroughness. Jones's father died when he was aged three, and his mother Mary Nix Jones raised him. He was sent to Harrow School in September 1753 and then went on to University College, Oxford.

Enduring Legacy & Impact

He graduated...

Contemporary Figures & Related Historical Timelines

• Bernardo de Gálvez — Contemporary (Born in 1746) (1746): Spanish military leader and colonial governor instrumental in securing Spanish territories.
• Francis Hutcheson (philosopher) — Contemporary (Died in 1746) (1746): Key figure of the Scottish Enlightenment, known for moral sense theory and aesthetics.
• Francisco Goya — Contemporary (Born in 1746) (1746): Pioneering Spanish master bridging the Old and Modern eras of art.
• Antonio López de Santa Anna — Contemporary (Born in 1794) (1794): Controversial Mexican general and politician, pivotal figure in 19th-century Mexican history.
• Camille Desmoulins — Contemporary (Died in 1794) (1794): Key journalist and radical voice of the French Revolution, instrumental in the fall of the monarchy.
• Cesare Beccaria — Contemporary (Died in 1794) (1794): Pioneering jurist whose work reformed criminal justice and condemned torture.
• Alexandre Cabanel — Shared historical date (09-28 · Born) (1823): Prominent French Academic painter, celebrated for historical and mythological subjects.
• Althea Gibson — Shared historical date (09-28 · Died) (2003): Pioneering American tennis and golf star who broke racial barriers in sports.
• Anouk Aimée — Shared historical date (04-27 · Born) (1932): Iconic French actress known for her captivating roles from the 1940s to 2010s.
• Antonio Gramsci — Shared historical date (04-27 · Died) (1937): Italian Marxist philosopher known for his theory of cultural hegemony.
• 1746 Historical Timeline & Archive — Explore world events and figures from 1746
• September 28 (09-28) On This Day — Historical birthdays and events on September 28
• 1794 Historical Timeline & Archive — Explore world events and figures from 1794
• April 27 (04-27) On This Day — Historical events and memorials on April 27