| 1607–1700 | North America, UK [food and drink] | Fruits introduced to the North American colonies from England include apples, which adapt well in New England, and peaches, which grow easily in Virginia and other warmer regions. Native vegetables like pumpkins, squash, and beans are favoured over European vegetables. |
| 1640–1700 | North America [literature and language] | Literacy rates in the colonies, particularly in New England, are high relative to those in the Old World. Shipton, New England has a 95% literacy rate; males in Virginia have a literacy rate between 54% and 60%. |
| 1658 | England [thought and scholarship] | The English writer on science and religion Thomas Browne publishes Hydriotaphia, or Urn Burial, a reflection on mortality in which he advocates cremation, and a companion work The Garden of Cyrus. |
| 1658 | India, Mogul Empire [architecture] | The Friday Mosque (Jami Masjid) in Delhi, India, one of the largest mosques in India, is completed. Built on the orders of Shah Jahan, it was probably designed by the Mogul architect Ustad Ahmaed Lahor. |
| c. 1658 | Netherlands [art] | The Dutch artist Jan Vermeer paints Kitchen Maid. |
| 1658 | Netherlands [biology] | Dutch microscopist Jan Swammerdam records oval particles in the blood of frogs – the first observation of red blood cells. |
| 12 February 1658 | Sweden, Denmark-Norway [wars] | Having marched his forces across the frozen sea of the Little Belt to Fyn and the Great Belt to Zealand, King Charles X of Sweden besieges the Danish capital, Copenhagen; Denmark surrenders, effectively ending the (First) Northern War. |
| 26 February 1658 | Sweden, Denmark-Norway [wars] | The Treaty of Roskild ends the first Swedish-Danish war. Denmark loses possession of land in southern Sweden and Tröndheim in Norway. |
| 25 June 1658 | India, Mogul Empire [wars] | Aurangzeb proclaims himself Mogul emperor, after imprisoning his sick father and slaughtering his two elder brothers, his son, and several nephews. |
| 18 July 1658 | Holy Roman Empire [elections] | Leopold I, second son of Ferdinand III, is elected Holy Roman Emperor, defeating the candidature of King Louis XIV of France and ending the short interregnum. |
| August 1658 | Sweden, Denmark-Norway [wars] | King Charles X of Sweden begins a second war with Denmark. He lands on Zealand and besieges Copenhagen. |
| 15 August 1658 | Germany, France, Holy Roman Empire [diplomacy] | The Protestant League of Hildesheim joins with the Catholic Rhine League to form the League of the Rhine, the first nondenominational grouping of states within Germany, aimed at securing a balance of power between France and the Holy Roman Empire. It is a triumph for French diplomacy after King Louis XIV had failed to be elected Holy Roman Emperor. |
| September 1658 | Austria, Habsburg Monarchy, Germany, Denmark-Norway, Sweden, Poland, United Netherlands, Brandenburg, Holy Roman Empire [wars] | An army of allied forces from Poland, Brandenburg, and Austria march to the aid of Denmark. By the end of the year, they have cleared Swedish forces from Jutland, Schleswig, and Holstein. Additionally, in October a Dutch fleet breaks through the blockade of Copenhagen in the Sound. |
| 3 September 1658 | England, Scotland, Ireland [births and deaths] | Oliver Cromwell, English soldier and statesman, commander of Parliamentarian forces in the English Civil Wars (1642–51), Lord Protector of England, Scotland, and Ireland 1653–58, dies (59). |
| 3 September 1658 | England [administration] | Following the death of Oliver Cromwell, he is succeeded as Lord Protector of England by his son Richard. |
