1st March » Georgeana, Massachusetts (now known as York, Maine), becomes the first incorporated city in the United States.
15th April » Irish Confederate Wars: A Confederate Ireland or Confederate Irish militia is routed in the Battle of Kilrush when it attempts to halt the progress of a Roundhead or Parliamentarian army.
17th May » Paul Chomedey de Maisonneuve (1612–1676) founds the Montreal named Ville Marie de Montréal.
30th May » From this date all honors granted by Charles I of England known as Charles I are retrospectively List of Ordinances and Acts of the Parliament of England, 1642–1660 known as annulled by Parliament.
22nd August » Charles I of England known as Charles I calls the Parliament of England called English Parliament traitors. The English Civil War begins.
23rd September » First commencement exercises occur at Harvard College.
23rd October » Battle of Edgehill: First major battle of the First English Civil War.
13th November » First English Civil War: Battle of Turnham Green the Cavalier known as Royalist forces withdraw in the face of the Roundhead e.g Parliamentarian army and fail to take London.
13th December » Abel Tasman reaches New Zealand.
18th December » Abel Tasman becomes first European to sight New Zealand.
11th January » Johann Friedrich Alberti, German organist and composer (d. 1710)
18th February » Marie Champmeslé, French actress (d. 1698)
15th April » Suleiman II, Ottoman sultan (d. 1691)
21st April » Simon de la Loubère, French diplomat (d. 1729)
20th June » George Hickes, English scholar (d. 1715)
23rd September » Giovanni Maria Bononcini, Italian violinist and composer (d. 1678)
6th December » Johann Christoph Bach, German organist and composer (d. 1703)
25th December » Isaac Newton, English physicist, mathematician, astronomer, and philosopher (d. 1727)
30th December » Vincenzo da Filicaja, Italian poet (d. 1707)
Famous Deaths in History for 1642
8th January » Galileo Galilei, Italian physicist, mathematician, astronomer, and philosopher (b. 1564)
7th February » William Bedell, English bishop and academic (b. 1571)
30th April » Dmitry Pozharsky, Russian prince (b. 1578)
18th August » Guido Reni, Italian painter (b. 1575)
29th September » René Goupil, French missionary and saint (b. 1608)
29th September » William Stanley, 6th Earl of Derby, English politician, Lord Lieutenant of Cheshire (b. 1561)
1st November » Jean Nicolet, French-Canadian explorer (b. 1598)
7th November » Henry Montagu, 1st Earl of Manchester, English judge and politician, Lord High Treasurer named Lord High Treasurer of The United Kingdom (b. 1563)
4th December » Cardinal Richelieu, French clergyman (b. 1585)