James Cook is one of the greatest pioneers of the eighteenth century. The man who led three expeditions around the world, discovered many new lands and islands, an experienced navigator, explorer and cartographer - this is who James Cook is. Read briefly about his travels in this article.
Childhood and youth
The future navigator was born on October 27, 1728 in the village of Marton (England). His father was a poor farmer. Over time, the family moved to the village of Great Ayton, where James Cook was educated at a local school. Since the family was poor, James's parents were forced to give him as an apprentice to the shopkeeper who lived in the small coastal town of States.
As an 18-year-old boy, James Cook, whose biography tells of him as a hardworking and purposeful man, left his job as a shopkeeper and hired a young man on a coal vessel. Thus began his career as a sailor. The ship on which he sailed for the first few years cruised mainly between London and the English city of Newcastle. He also managed to visit Ireland, Norway and the Baltic, and devoted almost all his free time to self-education, taking an interest in such sciences as mathematics, navigation, astronomy and geography. James Cook, who was offered a high position on one of the ships of a trading company, preferred to enlist as an ordinary sailor in the British Navy. Subsequently, he took part in the Seven Years War, and at its end he established himself as an experienced cartographer and topographer.
The first trip around the world
In 1766, the British Admiralty decided to send a scientific expedition to the Pacific Ocean, the purpose of which was various observations of space bodies, as well as some calculations. In addition, it was necessary to study the coast of New Zealand, discovered by Tasman back in 1642. James Cook was appointed the Head of the voyage. His biography, however, contains more than one journey in which he played a dominant role.
James Cook sailed from Plymouth in August 1768. The expedition ship crossed the Atlantic, circled South America and entered the Pacific Ocean. The astronomical mission was completed on the island of Tahiti on June 3, 1769, after which Cook sent the ships in a southwesterly direction and four months later reached New Zealand, the coast of which he thoroughly explored before continuing the journey. Then he sailed towards Australia and, having discovered the Torres Strait, which at that time was not known to Europeans, circled it from the north and sailed to Batavia on October 11, 1970. In Indonesia, the expedition suffered an epidemic of malaria and dysentery, which killed a third of the team. From there, Cook headed west, crossed the Indian Ocean, circled Africa, and July 12, 1771 returned to his homeland.
Second World Travel
In the fall of the same year, the British Admiralty again started another voyage. This time, his goal is to study the still unexplored parts of the Southern Hemisphere and search for the alleged southern continent. This task was entrusted to James Cook.
Two expedition ships sailed from Plymouth on July 13, 1772, and on October 30 docked in Kapstadt (now Cape Town), located in southern Africa. After staying there for a little less than a month, Cook continued to sail south. In mid-December, travelers stumbled upon solid ice, blocking the way for ships, but Cook was not going to give up. He crossed the Arctic Circle on January 17, 1773, but was soon forced to turn the ships north. Over the next few months, he visited several islands in Oceania and the Pacific Ocean, after which he made another attempt to break through to the south. On January 30, 1774, the expedition managed to reach the southernmost point of its navigation. Then Cook again headed north, visited several islands. James Cook, whose biography is full of discoveries, and this time came across new islands. Having completed research in this region, he swam east and in December clung to Tierra del Fuego. The expedition returned to England on July 13, 1775.
At the end of this voyage, which made Cook quite famous throughout Europe, he received a new promotion and also became a member of the Royal Geographical Society, which also awarded him a gold medal.
Third trip around the world
The purpose of the next voyage was the search for the north-western route from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean. The journey of James Cook began in Plymouth, from where on July 12, 1776 an expedition consisting of two ships came out under his leadership. Mariners arrived in Kapstadt, and from there went to the southeast and by the end of 1777 visited Tasmania, New Zealand and other places. In mid-December of the following year, the expedition visited Hawaii, and then continued on to the north, where Cook sent ships along the coast of Canada and Alaska, crossed the Arctic Circle and soon, finally getting stuck in solid ice, was forced to turn back south.
In January 1779, Cook pinned to the Hawaiian Islands and stayed there for a while. On February 14, a conflict occurred between sailors and natives of the island of Hawaii , as a result of which several sailors were killed, including Captain James Cook.
Conclusion
Cook's legacy - his diaries, containing a wealth of ethnographic and geographical data, have been reprinted many times in many languages. These notes are of particular interest to researchers today. James Cook, whose biography abounds in a mass of colorful episodes, is rightfully considered one of the most outstanding discoverers along with such great people as Christopher Columbus and Amerigo Vespucci.