| 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%. |
| 1667–1685 | France [law and government] | A substantial reform of French law takes place with the introduction of a new Civil Code, the Code Louis, in 1667. It is followed by the Criminal Code in 1670, the Maritime Code in 1672, the Commercial Code in 1673, and the Code Noir in 1685, which caters for slaves in the colonies. It remains the basis of French law until the Code Napoléon is introduced in 1804. |
| c. 1670 | Netherlands [painting] | The Dutch artist Jan Vermeer paints The Lace-maker, The Letter, and Lady Writing a Letter. |
| 1670 | France [theatre and dance] | The comedy Le Bourgeois gentilhomme/The Bourgeois Gentleman by the French dramatist Molière (Jean-Baptiste Poquelin) is first performed. The music is by the French composer Jean-Baptiste Lully. The play is first published in 1671. |
| 1670 | France [thought and scholarship] | Pensées/Thoughts, a collection of religious meditations by the French mathematician and religious thinker Blaise Pascal, is published posthumously. |
| 1670 | France [architecture] | The Palace of Versailles, near Paris, France, designed by the French architect Louis Le Vau, is completed. The French architect Jules Hardouin-Mansart will begin extensive additions in 1678. |
| 1670 | Ireland [chemistry] | Anglo-Irish chemist and physicist Robert Boyle discovers hydrogen (atomic number 1), produced when certain metals react with acid, although he does not identify it as an element. |
| 9 February 1670 | Denmark-Norway [administration] | Following his death of Frederick III, Christian V succeeds his father as king of Denmark. |
| 29 April 1670 | Papal States, Italy [Catholicism] | Emilio Altieri is elected Pope Clement X following the death of Pope Clement IX. |
| 22 May 1670 | UK, France [treaties] | The secret Treaty of Dover between Britain and France is signed. King Charles II of England promises to declare himself a Catholic in return for a subsidy. He also engages to support King Louis XIV of France against Spain and to provide naval assistance in a joint war against the United Netherlands. |
