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James Cook
James Cook was a British explorer who achieved the first European contact with the Hawaiian Islands and the eastern coastline of Australia. He also holds the record for being the first person to circumnavigate New Zealand.
915 Questions
What was James Cook's achievement in 1768-1778?
James Cook was an English sea captain. Contrary to popular opinion, he did NOT discover Australia, nor New Zealand, but he was famous for several reasons:
On his first journey, departing in 1768, he commanded the 'Endeavour' on an expedition to chart the transit of Venus. Cook went on to search for Terra Australis Incognita, the great continent which some believed to extend round the pole. He first came across New Zealand, which had already been discovered by Abel Tasman in 1642. He spent some months there, charting the coastline. Nearly a year later, he set sail east, becoming the first known European to sight the Eastern coast of Australia, in April 1770. He continued north, charting the coast in some detail, before returning a favourable report to England. It was this report which convinced the authorities to colonise the Australian continent with convicts.
On Cook's second journey which lasted from 1772-1775, he commanded the 'Resolution' and the 'Adventure' on an expedition to the South Pacific, disproving the rumour of a great southern continent, exploring the Antarctic Ocean, New Hebrides and New Caledonia.
On his third journey, commencing in 1776, Cook visited and named the Sandwich Islands, now known as Hawaii, and unsuccessfully sought a northwest passage along the coast of North America. On his way back to England, he stopped at Hawaii again. After a boat was stolen by natives, he and his crew had an altercation with the Hawaiians. On 14 February 1779, Cook was speared by Hawaiian natives.
What plant Sir Joseph Banks name after himself?
The plant species Banksia was named after Sir Joseph Banks.
Sir Joseph Bankswas one of the botanists aboard James Cook's ship, the Endeavour, which sailed between 1768 and 1771.
The name Banksia was selected and made public in April 1782 by Carl von Linne or Carolus Linnaeus the Younger
What was Captain James Cook's occupation?
James Cook was the son of a farm labourer, and held no great ambitions, being apprenticed in a grocer/haberdashery when he was 16. Lack of aptitude in the trade led his employer to introduce Cook to local shipowners, who took him on as a merchant navy apprentice. Here he was educated in algebra, trigonometry, navigation, and astronomy, which later set Cook up to command his own ship.
How old was James Cook when he started exploring?
James Cook was truly an "explorer" between the years of 1768 and 1779. During this time, he would been between forty and fifty-one years, having been born in 1728.
Did James Cook have grandchildren?
James Cook had seven siblings but four didn't survive past early childhood, whilst his older brother died at the age of 23. Only James Cook and two sisters survived. In 1762, he married Elizabeth Batts, with whom he had six children of his own.
Where did Captain Cook explore?
On his first journey, departing in 1768, James Cook commanded the 'Endeavour' on an expedition to chart the transit of Venus. Cook went on to search for Terra Australis Incognita, the great continent which some believed to extend round the pole. He first came across New Zealand, which had already been discovered by Abel Tasman in 1642. He spent some months there, charting the coastline. Nearly a year later, he set sail east, becoming the first known European to sight the Eastern coast of Australia, in April 1770. He continued north, charting the coast in some detail, before returning a favourable report to England. It was this report which convinced the authorities to colonise the Australian continent with convicts.
On Cook's second journey which lasted from 1772-1775, he commanded the 'Resolution' and the 'Adventure' on an expedition to the South Pacific, disproving the rumour of a great southern continent, exploring the Antarctic Ocean, New Hebrides and New Caledonia.
On his third journey, commencing in 1776, Cook visited and named the Sandwich Islands, now known as Hawaii, and unsuccessfully sought a northwest passage along the coast of North America. On his way back to England, he stopped at Hawaii again. After a boat was stolen by natives, he and his crew had an altercation with the Hawaiians. On 14 February 1779, Cook was speared by Hawaiian natives. This was a tragic end to the career of a noble and courageous explorer.
When did captain James cook go to Fiji?
James Cook was not yet a captain when he embarked on his first voyage in 1768. He arrived in Tahiti on 13 April 1769. Following this, he continued west, reaching New Zealand in October 1769. He arrived at the southeast corner of Australia in April 1770. He returned to England in 1771, having circumnavigated the globe, as well as exploring and charting New Zealand and the east coast of Australia.
Why is Botany Bay now called Sydney harbor?
Botany Bay is now still called Botany Bay. Originally intended as the site for the colony of New South Wales, Botany Bay proved unsuitable for the purpose, so it should not be confused with Port Jackson, the site where Sydney was first established. However, because of the expansion of Sydney, Botany Bay is now part of the city of Sydney.
The first name for Botany Bay was Stingray Harbour.
Did Captain Cook discover Australia or Hawaii?
James Cook certainly did not discover Australia.
He was the first European to discover Hawaii which, at the time, he named the Sandwich Islands after one of his sponsors, the Earl of Sandwich.
Did Captain Cook get sea sick?
I don't think Captain Cook got sea sick (motion sickness), but Admiral Nelson suffered from it his entire life. Apparently, he would say 'If you want to avoid motion sickness, go sit under a tree.' The moral of the story: unless you want to spend your life restricted to tree sitting, forget about it and get out there!
What country sponsored James Cook?
England sponsored James Cook.
Cook was hired in 1766 by the Royal Geographic Society who sponsored Cook's first expedition to observe the transit of Venus in 1769. This journey was co-sponsored by the British Admiralty.
Cook's other voyages were also planned as scientific explorations and were commissioned and sponsored by George III of England and the Admiralty.
What was Eastern Australia called by Captain Cook in Early Times?
James Cook did not name the first colony of Australia. He sailed up the eastern coast 18 years before the continent was colonised.
Cook claimed the eastern half of Australia as New South Wales, and recommended that the site of Botany Bay be colonised. However, when Arthur Phillip led the First Fleet into Botany Bay, he found it was not suitable for settlement, for several reasons, and moved north to Port Jackson.
What was discovered by dutch explorers in 1606 in Australia?
Willem Jansz crossed the Arafura Sea from New Guinea into the Gulf of Carpentaria in far northern Australia. On 26 February 1606, Jansz became the first recorded European to step foot on Australia's shores at the Pennefather River, near where the Queensland town of Weipa now stands, on the western shore of Cape York Peninsula.
How did James Cook become an explorer?
James Cook was the son of a farm labourer. He didn't have much of an ambition, so he was apprenticed to a haberdasher/grocer at the age of 16. He didn't show much promise here, either, having little aptitude for the trade, so his employer introduced him to local shipowners, who took him on as a merchant navy apprentice. Here he was educated in algebra, trigonometry, navigation, and astronomy, which later set Cook up to command his own ship.
After working his way up to positions of greater responsibility and experience, Cook was hired in 1766 by the Royal Society to travel to the Pacific Ocean to observe and record the transit of Venus across the Sun. After this, the young Lieutenant Cook was sent to part of the British Merchant Marine and later the Royal Navy during the Seven Years' War. It was these experiences that led to him becoming a captain.
Where in Australia did Captain Cook land in 1770?
Captain Cook did not live in Australia at any time. He was the first to chart the eastern coast, in 1770, long before European settlement in Australia. A reproduction of Cook's cottage is situated in Melbourne, Victoria, but he did not live there.
Why did Captain Cook have orders to sail to Australia?
Captain Cook's original mission was to observe the transit of Venus from the vantage point of Tahiti. He was then under orders to try to find the great unknown southern continent, and claim it for Britain. In so doing, he charted the eastern coastline of what he called "New South Wales" (now Australia), making extensive notes on the people, flora, fauna and prospective suitability for colonisation, and reported back to England.
What is the present name of the Sandwich Islands discovered by Captain Cook?
The Sandwich Islands are now known by their original native name of Hawaii.
When did captain James cook circumnavigate antarctica?
Commanding the ship, the 'Resolution', Captain James Cook became the first known European to visit the waters of Antarctica, crossing the Antarctic Circle in latitude 67 degrees south, on 17 January 1773. Pack ice and the solid freezing of the ship's sails prevented him from exploring the region any further.
A year later, Cook crossed the Antarctic Circle again, on 30 January 1774, and reaching 71 degrees 10'S. Once again, he was stopped by thick pack ice that prevented further progression. This was the furthest south and closest to the South Pole that any known person had ever been.
Did James Cook discover Australia in 1770?
James Cook is believed to have landed at Botany Bay in April 1770. Although he fist sighted the mainland at Point Hicks, on the far southeastern coast of Australia on 19 April 1770, he did not land there. The Botany Bay landing was the first of several.
After charting the eastern coast, he ran aground on the Great Barrier Reef, so brought the ship in to where Cooktown now stands, at the mouth of the Endeavour River, for repairs. This is in far north Queensland.
Finally, on 22 August 1770, James Cook claimed Australia for the British Crown when he landed at Possession Island in Torres Strait.
What did Captain James Cook eat on his voyage?
Captain James Cook brought along several experts on his journeys to effectively record all that was important about the new discovery. Sydney Parkinson, documented botanist findings that were of immense value to British scientists. William Hodges, an artist, was able to provide stunning landscape paintings of Tahiti and Easter Island. William Bligh, Cook's sailing master was sent to Tahiti to return with breadfruit (Note: he was THE Captain Bligh, whose ship was mutinied!).
