Interesting Facts about Captain James Cook, Explorer and More
I came across many of these things online, and I have in quotes what is not my material, which is what mostly is showing below. I compiled it, but wanted to keep it somewhere. Just some interesting notes about Cook's journeys.
Captain James Cook, Explorer
1. Captain Cook achieved the first European contact with the Eastern Coastline
of Australia. Very cool... can you imagine? Also, Hawaii, and the first
recorded circumnavigation of New Zealand...he is one lucky guy. I can't imagine all the beauty and adventures he encountered.
2. Neat quote "Following on from his
exertions in Newfoundland, it was at this time that Cook wrote that he intended
to go not only:
"... farther than any man has been before me, but as far as I think it is
possible for a man to go."
3. James Cook's first voyage - "The expedition sailed from England in 1768,
rounded Cape Horn and continued westward across the Pacific to arrive at Tahiti
on 13 April 1769, where the observations of the Venus Transit was made."
4. "Cook later mapped the complete New Zealand coastline, making only some
minor errors. He then sailed west, reaching the south-eastern coast of the
Australian continent on 19 April 1770, and in doing so his expedition became the
first recorded Europeans to have encountered its eastern coastline"
5. "On 23 April he made his first recorded direct observation of indigenous
Australians at Brush Island near Bawley Point, noting in his journal: "...and
were so near the Shore as to distinguish several people upon the Sea beach they
appear'd to be of a very dark or black Colour but whether this was the real
colour of their skins or the C[l]othes they might have on I know not."
6. "Cook's journals were published upon his return, and he became something of
a hero among the scientific community. Among the general public, however, the
aristocratic botanist Joseph Banks was a bigger hero.[3] Banks even attempted to
take command of Cook's second voyage, but removed himself from the voyage before
it began, and Johann Reinhold Forster and his son Georg Forster were taken on as
scientists for the voyage. Cook's son George was born five days before he left
for his second voyage"
7. "Then, in 1772, he was commissioned by the Royal Society to search for the
hypothetical Terra Australis. On his first voyage, Cook had demonstrated by
circumnavigating New Zealand that it was not attached to a larger landmass to
the south. Although he charted almost the entire eastern coastline of Australia,
showing it to be continental in size, the Terra Australis was believed to lie
further south. Despite this evidence to the contrary, Alexander Dalrymple and
others of the Royal Society still believed that this massive southern continent
should exist."
8. "Cook almost encountered the mainland of Antarctica, but turned back north
towards Tahiti to resupply his ship. He then resumed his southward course in a
second fruitless attempt to find the supposed continent."
9. "His reports upon his return home put to rest the popular myth of Terra
Australis."
10. He stopped many places on his last voyage..even up in California, and up
toward Canada..Alaska, etc. One interesting quote, "The Bering Strait proved to
be impassable, although he made several attempts to sail through it. He became
increasingly frustrated on this voyage, and perhaps began to suffer from a
stomach ailment; it has been speculated that this led to irrational behaviour
towards his crew, such as forcing them to eat walrus meat, which they found
inedible."
11. Cooks Death. "After a month's stay, Cook got under sail again to resume
his exploration of the Northern Pacific. However, shortly after leaving Hawaii
Island, the foremast of the Resolution broke and the ships returned to
Kealakekua Bay for repairs. It has been hypothesised that the return to the
islands by Cook's expedition was not just unexpected by the Hawaiians, but also
unwelcome because the season of Lono had recently ended (presuming that they
associated Cook with Lono and Makahiki). In any case, tensions rose and a number
of quarrels broke out between the Europeans and Hawaiians. On 14 February at
Kealakekua Bay, some Hawaiians took one of Cook's small boats. Normally, as
thefts were quite common in Tahiti and the other islands, Cook would have taken
hostages until the stolen articles were returned.[3] Indeed, he attempted to
take hostage the King of Hawaiʻi, Kalaniʻōpuʻu. The
Hawaiians prevented this, and Cook's men had to retreat to the beach. As Cook
turned his back to help launch the boats, he was struck on the head by the
villagers and then stabbed to death as he fell on his face in the surf.[37]
Hawaiian tradition says that he was killed by a chief named
Kalanimanokahoowaha.[38] The Hawaiians dragged his body away. Four of the
Marines with Cook were also killed and two wounded in the confrontation."
OK... These were some of the main highlights or what I found interesting from
Cook's life. There is much more too, like where he lived and married and his
children. Very much worth looking up sometime.
Captain James Cook, Explorer
1. Captain Cook achieved the first European contact with the Eastern Coastline
of Australia. Very cool... can you imagine? Also, Hawaii, and the first
recorded circumnavigation of New Zealand...he is one lucky guy. I can't imagine all the beauty and adventures he encountered.
2. Neat quote "Following on from his
exertions in Newfoundland, it was at this time that Cook wrote that he intended
to go not only:
"... farther than any man has been before me, but as far as I think it is
possible for a man to go."
3. James Cook's first voyage - "The expedition sailed from England in 1768,
rounded Cape Horn and continued westward across the Pacific to arrive at Tahiti
on 13 April 1769, where the observations of the Venus Transit was made."
4. "Cook later mapped the complete New Zealand coastline, making only some
minor errors. He then sailed west, reaching the south-eastern coast of the
Australian continent on 19 April 1770, and in doing so his expedition became the
first recorded Europeans to have encountered its eastern coastline"
5. "On 23 April he made his first recorded direct observation of indigenous
Australians at Brush Island near Bawley Point, noting in his journal: "...and
were so near the Shore as to distinguish several people upon the Sea beach they
appear'd to be of a very dark or black Colour but whether this was the real
colour of their skins or the C[l]othes they might have on I know not."
6. "Cook's journals were published upon his return, and he became something of
a hero among the scientific community. Among the general public, however, the
aristocratic botanist Joseph Banks was a bigger hero.[3] Banks even attempted to
take command of Cook's second voyage, but removed himself from the voyage before
it began, and Johann Reinhold Forster and his son Georg Forster were taken on as
scientists for the voyage. Cook's son George was born five days before he left
for his second voyage"
7. "Then, in 1772, he was commissioned by the Royal Society to search for the
hypothetical Terra Australis. On his first voyage, Cook had demonstrated by
circumnavigating New Zealand that it was not attached to a larger landmass to
the south. Although he charted almost the entire eastern coastline of Australia,
showing it to be continental in size, the Terra Australis was believed to lie
further south. Despite this evidence to the contrary, Alexander Dalrymple and
others of the Royal Society still believed that this massive southern continent
should exist."
8. "Cook almost encountered the mainland of Antarctica, but turned back north
towards Tahiti to resupply his ship. He then resumed his southward course in a
second fruitless attempt to find the supposed continent."
9. "His reports upon his return home put to rest the popular myth of Terra
Australis."
10. He stopped many places on his last voyage..even up in California, and up
toward Canada..Alaska, etc. One interesting quote, "The Bering Strait proved to
be impassable, although he made several attempts to sail through it. He became
increasingly frustrated on this voyage, and perhaps began to suffer from a
stomach ailment; it has been speculated that this led to irrational behaviour
towards his crew, such as forcing them to eat walrus meat, which they found
inedible."
11. Cooks Death. "After a month's stay, Cook got under sail again to resume
his exploration of the Northern Pacific. However, shortly after leaving Hawaii
Island, the foremast of the Resolution broke and the ships returned to
Kealakekua Bay for repairs. It has been hypothesised that the return to the
islands by Cook's expedition was not just unexpected by the Hawaiians, but also
unwelcome because the season of Lono had recently ended (presuming that they
associated Cook with Lono and Makahiki). In any case, tensions rose and a number
of quarrels broke out between the Europeans and Hawaiians. On 14 February at
Kealakekua Bay, some Hawaiians took one of Cook's small boats. Normally, as
thefts were quite common in Tahiti and the other islands, Cook would have taken
hostages until the stolen articles were returned.[3] Indeed, he attempted to
take hostage the King of Hawaiʻi, Kalaniʻōpuʻu. The
Hawaiians prevented this, and Cook's men had to retreat to the beach. As Cook
turned his back to help launch the boats, he was struck on the head by the
villagers and then stabbed to death as he fell on his face in the surf.[37]
Hawaiian tradition says that he was killed by a chief named
Kalanimanokahoowaha.[38] The Hawaiians dragged his body away. Four of the
Marines with Cook were also killed and two wounded in the confrontation."
OK... These were some of the main highlights or what I found interesting from
Cook's life. There is much more too, like where he lived and married and his
children. Very much worth looking up sometime.
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