First Expedition Cook set off for his first journey on August 26, 1768. His main objective was to observe the planet Venus as it passed between the Earth and the Sun. This would help astronomers to calculate the distance of the Sun from the Earth. He also hoped to find the fabled southern continent.
James Cook was a naval captain, navigator and explorer who, in 1770, charted New Zealand and the Great Barrier Reef of Australia on his ship HMB Endeavour. He later disproved the existence of Terra Australis, a fabled southern continent.
Why did James Cook explore Australia?
Cook’s instructions next took him south, where he was to determine the existence of a southern continent. . The Endeavour circumnavigated and mapped New Zealand before travelling west, where on 19 April 1770 Cook spotted and claimed the east coast of Australia for the Crown.
What was the most important discovery made on Captain Cook’s voyages?
Omai had been taken on Cook’s second voyage and had been an object of curiosity in London. It was on this, Cook’s final voyage, that he discovered the Hawaiian Islands in January 1778. This major discovery would lead to his death – Cook was killed on a return visit to Hawaii at Kealakekua Bay, on 14 February 1779.
What did James Cook do on his third voyage?
Cook’s third voyage was as ambitious in its objectives as the previous two voyages. He was instructed by the Admiralty to search for a passage from the North Pacific to the North Atlantic (commonly known as the ‘Northwest Passage’), in order to provide a shorter sea route for trade between Britain and the Pacific.
Where did Captain James Cook go on his second voyage?
Captain Cook Timeline – Second Voyage 1772- 1775. In July 1772 Resolution, commanded by Captain Cook, and Discovery, commanded by Lieutenant Furneaux, set sail from Britain, via Madiera (Jul-Aug) and Cape Town, South Africa (Oct-Nov), towards the Antarctic in search of the Great Southern Continent.
Where did Captain Cook go on his third voyage?
James Cook’s third and final voyage (12 July 1776 – 4 October 1780) took the route from Plymouth via Cape Town and Tenerife to New Zealand and the Hawaiian Islands, and along the North American coast to the Bering Strait.
Where did Captain Cook sail to in 1770?
Australia
What did James Cook discover on his second voyage?
In June 1773 the ships left New Zealand and sailed east on a track ten degrees south of the course of the Endeavour. After a month in which no land was sighted Cook turned the ships north in search of Pitcairn Island, which had been sighted by Philip Carteret in 1767, but saw ‘no thing excepting two Tropick birds’.
Why did James Cook go on his journey?
Cook set off for his first journey on August 26, 1768. His main objective was to observe the planet Venus as it passed between the Earth and the Sun. This would help astronomers to calculate the distance of the Sun from the Earth. He also hoped to find the fabled southern continent.
What did Captain Cook do on his second voyage?
The Resolution sailed west, calling again at Tahiti and Tonga, before arriving at a group of islands, which Cook called the New Hebrides (now Vanuatu). Several landings were made over the following weeks and Cook charted the islands before steering south towards New Zealand.
Where was Captain Cook’s first voyage?
First voyage The expedition, which included a party of scientists and artists led by Joseph Banks, left Plymouth in August 1768 and sailed to Brazil and around Cape Horn, reaching Tahiti in April 1769. After the astronomical observations were completed, Cook sailed south to 40°S, but failed to find any land.
What did James Cook discover in Australia?
James Cook was a naval captain, navigator and explorer who, in 1770, charted New Zealand and the Great Barrier Reef of Australia on his ship HMB Endeavour. He later disproved the existence of Terra Australis, a fabled southern continent.
How did James Cook exploration help his country?
Today, Cook’s voyages are credited with helping to guide generations of explorers and with providing the first accurate map of the Pacific, and many believe that he did more to fill the map of the world than any other explorer in history.
What was James Cook’s mission?
Cook set off for his first journey on August 26, 1768. His main objective was to observe the planet Venus as it passed between the Earth and the Sun. This would help astronomers to calculate the distance of the Sun from the Earth. He also hoped to find the fabled southern continent.
Where did Cook go on his second voyage?
Captain Cook Timeline – Second Voyage 1772- 1775. In July 1772 Resolution, commanded by Captain Cook, and Discovery, commanded by Lieutenant Furneaux, set sail from Britain, via Madiera (Jul-Aug) and Cape Town, South Africa (Oct-Nov), towards the Antarctic in search of the Great Southern Continent.
Was Captain Cook the first to discover Australia?
Cook and his crew spent the following six months charting the New Zealand coast, before resuming their voyage westward across open sea. In April 1770 they became the first known Europeans to reach the east coast of Australia, making landfall near present-day Point Hicks, and then proceeding north to Botany Bay.
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