Perhaps one of the greatest explorers of history was Captain James Cook, who sailed the world, discovering Tahiti, New Zealand, sailing south to Australia, making observations of the rare astronomical event, the Transit of Venus across the face of the sun from Tahiti. He captained his men with bold courage, going where no one from Europe had gone before. When his men anchored in Tahiti, they discovered the islanders knew the art of tatooing, and so a for the first time the long-established custom was begun with sailors getting tatoos. He was an accomplished captain, navigator and explorer.
He discovered the Hawaiian Islands, brought along scientists who explored and collected plants and animals and met with exotic peoples that were unknown to Europeans. This is a catalog, presumably for a show at the National Maritime Museum in London. It is illustrated with paintings, artifacts, telescope, barometer, chronometers and other tools of exploration used on the voyages. A fascinating and hard to find document of the life of a man whose adventures are the stuff of legend. Today is the Anniversary of Cook's discovery of Hawaii: January 18, 1778.
No comments:
Post a Comment