Scribd Logo
Upload

Welcome to Scribd!

  • James Cook Biography

    Uploaded by

    Gaby Constante
    25 views1 page
    James Cook (1728-1799) was a British explorer and cartographer who made three voyages to the Pacific Ocean and in the process discovered many islands and explored the coastlines of New Zealand, Australia, and the Hawaiian Islands. Cook took careful measurements and observations during his voyages which resulted in highly accurate maps that are still used today. He rose through the ranks of the British navy and was chosen to lead scientific expeditions to observe astronomical phenomena. Cook's voyages and discoveries greatly expanded European knowledge of geography and he is considered one of the greatest explorers in history.

    Original Description:

    Copyright

    © Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)

    Available Formats

    DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd

    Did you find this document useful?

    Is this content inappropriate?

    Report this Document
    James Cook (1728-1799) was a British explorer and cartographer who made three voyages to the Pacific Ocean and in the process discovered many islands and explored the coastlines of New Zealand, Australia, and the Hawaiian Islands. Cook took careful measurements and observations during his voyages which resulted in highly accurate maps that are still used today. He rose through the ranks of the British navy and was chosen to lead scientific expeditions to observe astronomical phenomena. Cook's voyages and discoveries greatly expanded European knowledge of geography and he is considered one of the greatest explorers in history.

    Copyright:

    Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
    Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Flag for inappropriate content
    Download as docx, pdf, or txt
    25 views1 page

    James Cook Biography

    Uploaded by

    Gaby Constante
    James Cook (1728-1799) was a British explorer and cartographer who made three voyages to the Pacific Ocean and in the process discovered many islands and explored the coastlines of New Zealand, Australia, and the Hawaiian Islands. Cook took careful measurements and observations during his voyages which resulted in highly accurate maps that are still used today. He rose through the ranks of the British navy and was chosen to lead scientific expeditions to observe astronomical phenomena. Cook's voyages and discoveries greatly expanded European knowledge of geography and he is considered one of the greatest explorers in history.

    Copyright:

    Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
    Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Flag for inappropriate content
    Download as docx, pdf, or txt
    of 1

    James Cook: 1728-1799

    There were two more continents to be discovered - Australia and The Antarctic. The last of the big discoverers is the British map-maker and sailor Sir James Cook (1728-1799), the first from the Old World to go to Australia, New Zealand and the Hawaiian islands. He was a middle-class man from England who took part in the Seven-year war and the siege of Quebec. He had a lot of experience before he dedicated 11 years of his life to exploring the Pacific. He made 3 big journeys. For navigation, Cook excessively used the sextant, and made very accurate maps. The famous astronomer Charles Green helped him with the longitude measurements. Cook took in his crew scientists like botanists (on the first voyage as many as 3000 plant species were studied), even painters who returned with a lot of evidence from these unexplored parts of the planet. Capt. James Cook was the greatest explorer of our planet. In three epic voyages (17681771, 1772-1775, 1776-1780) he discovered more of this planet's surface than any other man. He discovered the eastern coast of Australia, nearly every major island group in the Pacific, circumnavigated the Antarctic and visited the Arctic through the Bering Straits. He also charted the coasts he visited with an accuracy never seen before - his charts are still the foundation of modern charts. This extraordinary man had humble origins, becoming a merchant ship's master at a late age. He then joined the Royal Navy, and was chosen to chart the Saint Lawrence River and the rugged coast of Newfoundland. He was unknown outside of the Navy when the British Admiralty placed him in command of a small scientific expedition, to recently discovered Tahiti, to observe a transit of the planet Venus. He was accompanied by the amateur scientist Sir Joseph Banks, who became an important factor in the development from the sailor James Cook, to the scientific discoverer James Cook.

    James Cook was the discoverer of the new world, Australia. He set out on the sea to find new places. He discovered river Lawrence of Canada. James Cook made enormous addition to geographical knowledge and maps. He undertook dangerous voyages and discovered the continent of Australia which was believed to be inhabited by the savages.

    James Cook was born in a village of England in 1728. His father worked on a farm. When James grew up, he was put in a shop to learn the work. There was a port, beside the shop. James loved to go to the port whenever he could and listen to the talk of the sailors. One day, he packed up his things and ran away to become a sailor himself. For fifteen years he sailed in many ships and rose to the position of officer in a ship. Then James Cook joined navy and went to serve in Canada. He became a good navigator and knew how to sail ships very well. James was responsible for Britain's acquisition of Australian territories. The secret of James Cook's success was his skill as a sailor and his leadership qualities

    The maps which Cook made of the Pacific Ocean have remained almost unchanged because they were very correct. James last journey was of Hawaii, but the natives were not so friendly. They were dangerous and one of them hit James hard and stabbed him to death. James Cook was only 50 years when he was killed in 1779. But he had become one of the greatest explorers of the world.

    You might also like