1754 in science

• Immanuel Kant, German philosopher, postulates retardation of Earth's orbit. ==Chemistry==

• Joseph Black, Scottish chemist, discovers carbonic acid gas. ==Earth sciences==

• Albert Brahms, Frisian Dijkgraaf, begins publication of Anfangsgründe der Deich und Wasser-Baukunst ("Principles of Dike and Aquatic Engineering") advocating scientific recording of tides. ==Mathematics==

• Joshua Kirby publishes the pamphlet ''Dr. Brook Taylor's Method of Perspective made Easy both in Theory and Practice'' containing William Hogarth's Satire on False Perspective. • Lagrange begins to work on the problem of tautochrone. ==Physics==

• Václav Prokop Diviš, Czech theologian and natural scientist in the fields of applied electricity, develops a weather-machine. The same year, an electrical conductor devised by him is installed at the Vienna General Hospital. ==Awards==

• Copley Medal: William Lewis ==Births==

• March 4 – Benjamin Waterhouse, American physician (died 1846) • March 15 – Archibald Menzies, Scottish surgeon and botanist (died 1842) • March 23 – Jurij Vega, Slovene mathematician, physicist and artillery officer (died 1802) • May 6 – Thomas Coke, English agriculturalist and geneticist (died 1842) • June 4 – Franz Xaver, Baron Von Zach, German astronomer (died 1832) • August 21 – William Murdoch, Scottish engineer and inventor (died 1839) • September 26 – Joseph Proust, French chemist (died 1826) ==Deaths==

• February 5 – Nicolaas Kruik (Cruquius), Dutch cartographer and meteorologist (born 1678) • February 16 – Richard Mead, English physician (born 1673) • April 9 – Christian Wolff, German philosopher, mathematician and scientist (born 1679) • April 15 – Jacopo Riccati, Italian mathematician (born 1676) • November 27 – Abraham de Moivre, French mathematician (born 1667) ==References==