On 16 February 1768 the Royal Society petitioned King George III to finance a scientific expedition to the Pacific to study and observe the 1769 transit of Venus across the sun to enable the measurement of the distance from the Earth to the Sun.

Who was James Cook’s sponsor?

The Royal Society proposed that Alexander Dalrymple should lead the expedition but the Admiralty, which was the joint sponsor, insisted it should be led by a naval officer. In April 1768 James Cook was appointed.

Who sent James Cook on his voyages?

In 1768, when Captain James Cook set sail on the first of three voyages to the South Seas, he carried with him secret orders from the British Admiralty to seek ‘a Continent or Land of great extent’ and to take possession of that country ‘in the Name of the King of Great Britain’.

Where did James Cook go on his first voyage?

First voyage He was instructed to sail to Tahiti to observe the transit of Venus in 1769 and also to ascertain whether a continent existed in the southern latitudes of the Pacific Ocean.

Was James Cook voyage successful?

The voyage successfully recorded the Transit of Venus and largely discredited the belief in a Southern Continent. Cook charted the islands of New Zealand and the east coast of Australia and the scientists and artists made unique records of the peoples, flora and fauna of the different lands visited.

Did Captain Cook get eaten?

Was Captain Cook really eaten by cannibals? No – the Hawaiian Islanders who killed Captain Cook were not cannibals. They believed that the power of a man was in his bones, so they cooked part of Cook’s body to enable the bones to be easily removed.

What is Captain James Cook most famous for?

Who Was James Cook? 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.

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.

What did James Cook call Australia?

Lieutenant James Cook, captain of HMB Endeavour, claimed the eastern portion of the Australian continent for the British Crown in 1770, naming it New South Wales.

Where is Captain James Cook buried?

Cook was deified by his most famous biographer, Beaglehole, who rhapsodised about his strategic genius, daring and unbending humanity. And when he landed in Hawaii, during his final expedition, natives watching him emerge from the water reportedly believed he was a literal god (Lono, god of fertility to be precise!).

What did Captain Cook discover on his second voyage?

Cook proved the Terra Australis Incognita to be a myth and predicted that an Antarctic land would be found beyond the ice barrier. On this voyage the Larcum Kendall K1 chronometer was successfully employed by William Wales to calculate longitude.

Who killed Captain Cook?

On February 14, 1779, Captain James Cook, the great English explorer and navigator, is killed by natives of Hawaii during his third visit to the Pacific island group.

What was James cooks 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.