Pierre Bayle
Pierre Bayle was a French philosopher, author, and lexicographer. He is best known for his Historical and Critical Dictionary, whose publication began in 1697. Many of the more controversial ideas in the book were hidden away in the voluminous footnotes, or they were slipped into articles on seemingly uncontroversial topics. Bayle is commonly regarded as a forerunner of the Encyclopédistes of the mid-18th century.
18 November 1647
Born on the same birth day (18 November): Bruce Conner • Carter Burwell • Eugene Ormandy • Gene Mauch • George Kotsiopoulos • Hippolytus Guarinonius • Jamie Moyer • Jonnie Irwin • Masao Koga • Mekia Cox • Wyndham Lewis