James Cook is one of the greatest discoverers of the 18th century. A man who led as many as three round-the-world expeditions, discovered many new lands and islands, an experienced navigator, explorer and cartographer - that's 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 apprentice him to a shopkeeper who lived in the small seaside town of States.
As an 18-year-old boy, James Cook, whose biography tells of him as a hardworking and purposeful person, left his job as a shopkeeper and got hired as a cabin boy on a coal ship. Thus began his career as a sailor. The vessel on which he went to sea duringthe first few years, mainly ran between London and the English city of Newcastle. He also managed to visit Ireland, Norway and the B altic, and devoted almost all his free time to self-education, being interested in such sciences as mathematics, navigation, astronomy and geography. James Cook, who was offered a high position on one of the ships of the trading company, chose to enlist as an ordinary sailor in the British Navy. Later he took part in the Seven Years' War, and at its end he established himself as an experienced cartographer and topographer.
First trip around the world
In 1766, the British Admir alty decided to send a scientific expedition to the Pacific Ocean, the purpose of which was various observations of cosmic 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 leader of the voyage. His biography, however, contains more than one journey in which he played a leading role.
James Cook sailed from Plymouth in August 1768. The expedition ship crossed the Atlantic, rounded South America and entered the Pacific Ocean. The astronomical assignment was completed on the island of Tahiti on June 3, 1769, after which Cook sent the ships in a south-westerly 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, finding the Torres Strait, which on thatthe moment was not known to Europeans, rounded it from the north and on October 11, 1970 sailed to Batavia. 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 returned home on July 12, 1771.
Second trip around the world
In the autumn of the same year, the British Admir alty again started another voyage. This time, his goal is to explore the still unexplored parts of the Southern Hemisphere and search for the alleged Southern Continent. This task was assigned to James Cook.
Two ships of the expedition sailed from Plymouth on July 13, 1772 and on October 30 landed in Capstadt (now Cape Town), located in southern Africa. After staying there for a little less than a month, Cook continued to sail in a southerly direction. In mid-December, travelers stumbled upon solid ice that blocked the way for ships, but Cook was not going to give up. He crossed the Antarctic Circle on January 17, 1773, but was soon forced to turn the ships to the north. Over the next few months, he visited several islands in Oceania and the Pacific, 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 voyage. Then Cook again headed north, visited several islands. James Cook, whose biography is full of discoveries, this time stumbled upon new islands. Having completed his research in this region, he sailed east and landed on Tierra del Fuego in December. The expedition returned to England on July 13, 1775
After completing this voyage, which made Cook very 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 to search for a northwestern 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 left under his leadership. The navigators arrived in Kapstadt, and from there they went to the southeast and by the end of 1777 they had visited Tasmania, New Zealand and other places. In mid-December of the following year, the expedition visited the Hawaiian Islands, after which they continued north, where Cook sent ships along the coast of Canada and Alaska, crossed the Arctic Circle and soon, finally stuck in solid ice, was forced to turn back south.
In January 1779, Cook landed in the Hawaiian Islands and stayed there for a while. On February 14, a conflict broke out between sailors and the 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 lot of ethnographic and geographical data, have been repeatedly reprinted in many languages. These records are still of particular interest to researchers today. James Cook, whose biography is replete with a mass of colorful episodes, rightfullyis considered one of the most outstanding discoverers along with such great people as Christopher Columbus and Amerigo Vespucci.
