James Cook

While reading history can be daunting, it is still important to know about it for us to understand the past and the present. The world as we know of has come a long way. Expeditions leading to discoveries is where we stand today. One of the famous explorers of the 18th century was James Cook.   James Cook was a British explorer and navigator whose attainment in mapping the Pacific, New Zealand, and Australia drastically altered western discernment of world geography. Cook was born in a tiny village in Yorkshire to a farmworker. During his middle adolescence age, he moved to the coast and began working as a coal merchant. A few years later, he enlisted in the Royal Navy, performing duties in North America where he was taught to survey and chart coastal water.

FIG: Collected

The 3 great voyages that changed the world:   Initially, he became a sailor then eventually a British Naval Officer. Captain Cook is best known for his 3 voyages of exploration and discoveries that took place in the pacific ocean. The 3 voyages had aspiring aims and globe changing repercussions. The voyages took place between 1768 – 1779.   Voyage 1:   Voyage 1 took place between1768 – 1771 when the British government dispatched Cook in search of new land in the Pacific and observe the transit of Venus. The ship that took Cook for his adventure was Whitby-built HMS Endeavour with Charles Green (astronomer) and Joseph Banks (botanist) on board.

They arrived in Tahiti in 1769, allowing Green to observe the transit of Venus. They persisted with their journey on to New Zealand, afterward sailing down Australia’s eastern coast. These lands were not seen by any Europeans before, as a result, Cook claimed it for the British and called it New South Wales.   Voyage 2:   Voyage 2 took place between 1772 – 1775 when Caption Cook was not pleased with his foregoing exploits, he went off on a second voyage to find the fabled southern continent. During this voyage, Cook’s ship came to be the first to cross the Antarctic Circle. They were forced to turn back their ship due to the skin peeling cold.

On the way back they visited New Zealand and Tahiti.   Voyage 3:   Voyage 3 took place between 1776 – 1779, by the end of which resulted in Cook’s death in Hawaii. Cook set off on this voyage to search for the North-West passage that is fabled to link the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. Not being able to find the mythical path, he travelled with two of his ships south to explore Hawaii. Initially, they were welcomed with open arms but later due to disputes with the locals, Cook was stabbed to death.   His expeditions took him to places all over the world like

• South America

 

• Tahiti

 

• New Zealand

 

• Australia

 

• Antarctica

 

• Canada

 

• Alaska

  The impact of his voyages remains a matter of controversy to date in many parts of the world and debate over his voyages is still ongoing. He has set a high benchmark in the thoroughness of discoveries and seamanship, in helmsmanship, cartography, along with taking care of his people at sea. During his voyages, Cook resolves the idea that there no such fabled continent of “Terre Australia” that many believed to have been existed. He also eliminated the concept of the North-West Passage, which preoccupied the European mind for centuries. Cook was also the first European to word picture of Hawaii and the first ship captain to keep his crew scurvy free. Captain James Cook has altered the world a lot more than any other explorer.

Written by: Ramisha Rahman  

Reference:  Britannica, BBC  

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