The version that the aborigines in Australia ate Cook remained an artistic truth thanks to the good song of Vladimir Semenovich Vysotsky. But the artistic truth diverged from the historical one.
On February 14, 1779, the aborigines killed the famous English navigator James Cook with a stone blow to the head. Cook's team, abandoning their commander, shamefully fled from the battlefield. Probably every resident knows that the aborigines ate Cook. former USSR. But, in fact, they didn't eat it. Having overcome their fear on the ship, the crew demanded that the aborigines hand over Cook's body. A few days later, they gave his remains to the British. The remains of Captain James Cook were solemnly buried in the waters of the Pacific Ocean, where they rest to this day. And this happened not in Australia, but on one of the Hawaiian Islands.
Meanwhile, the version that the aborigines in Australia ate Cook remained an artistic truth thanks to the good song of Vladimir Semenovich Vysotsky. But artistic truth diverged from historical truth. This is not the first time this has happened in Russian literature. For example, the real Salieri did not poison the real Mozart, despite the brilliant play by Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin.
And now in more detail...
Brief biography of the hero
In terms of his role in the history of the Great Geographical Discoveries, James Cook occupies a place comparable to that of Christopher Columbus and Ferdinand Magellan. He not only discovered many new lands and elucidated the structure and location of Australia and many islands of the Pacific, Atlantic and Indian Oceans, but also made a breakthrough in the study of the southern seas, giving their first systematic and reliable cartographic description.
James Cook was born on October 27, 1728 in the village of Marton, Yorkshire, into the family of a poor Scottish farm laborer. For some reason, most poor families in many countries of the world had many children. So James Cook was the second child of eight children in the family. Nothing foreshadowed that little boy a famous navigator will grow up. But James Cook turned out to be a “tough nut to crack.” One can safely say about him: “self-mademan (a man who made himself).”
James's father, who worked without straightening his back all week, devoted Sunday to family and God. In 1736, the family moved to the village of Great Ayton near the city of Newcastle. Here Cook was sent to a local school (now converted into a museum). The father wanted to train his son to be a merchant. To this end, when James was thirteen years old, his father gave him to the service of a haberdashery merchant, but he did not like this prospect. The only thing that attracted him was the proximity of the sea and the port of Newcastle. He could watch for hours as the black, gloomy ships endlessly took cargo into their bowels coal. This was a gratifying sight for him, because in his imagination he had already seen ships cutting through the waves of the sea. Of course, in the then England there were different conditions than in the then Russia, and the young James Cook did not have to, like Mikhail Lomonosov, walk from Newcastle to London in pursuit of knowledge. He simply ran away from home and got a job as a cabin boy on the brig Freelove, transporting coal on the Newcastle-London route. At the same time, Cook began to educate himself in an unusual way and spent almost all of his small salary on buying books. “Why do you need this?” - the sailors asked Cook, dreaming only of food and drink. And when they found out that the money was intended for books, they laughed at him. Then the sailors even began to get angry: after all, such asceticism and diligence were a reproach for them. To defend his freedom, young James often had to use his fists. Cook devoted his free time from work to studying geography, navigation, mathematics, astronomy, as well as descriptions of sea expeditions. Thus began the sea life of our hero. He was then eighteen years old.
James Cook obviously took into account that in England at that time they knew how to value educated people. And he turned out to be right. Three years later, he was offered to take command of the ship Friendship, but Cook refused. Instead, on June 17, 1755, Cook enlisted as a sailor in the Royal Navy and 8 days later received an appointment to the 60-gun ship Eagle. And again he was right. Within a month after admission, he becomes a boatswain on a warship.
Soon they turned around fighting between England and France during the Seven Years' War. The ship Eagle, on which Cook served, was ordered to take part in the blockade of the French coast. In May 1757, off the French island of Ouessant, Eagle entered into battle with the French ship Duke of Aquitaine. During the pursuit and battle, the Duke of Aquitaine was captured, and the Eagle was damaged and was forced to leave for repairs in England. Cook received his first baptism of fire.
Upon reaching two years of experience, James Cook successfully passed the SailingMaster exam, and was assigned to the ship Solebey, and then to the ship Pembroke, on which he took part in the blockade of the Bay of Biscay. Then in February 1758 he was sent to the east coast of Canada This is where the knowledge gleaned from textbooks came in handy in pre-war life.
While participating in the war in Canada, James Cook was not content with military action alone. One day he presented to his superiors a map he had drawn up of the mouth of the St. Lawrence River. But even among officers, good cartographers were not found so often. Cook was transferred to a special ship designed for mapping the coast of Labrador. After some time, holding amazingly detailed map Islands of Newfoundland, captain of the first rank, who headed the cartographic service of the English Admiralty, asked who compiled it.
Cook was given the most important task - to clear the fairway of a section of the St. Lawrence River so that British ships could pass along it to Quebec. This task included not only drawing the fairway on the map, but also marking navigable sections of the river with buoys. On the one hand, due to the extreme complexity of the fairway, the volume of work was very large, on the other hand, they had to work at night, under fire from French artillery, fighting off night counterattacks, restoring buoys that the French managed to destroy. The successfully completed work enriched Cook with cartographic experience, and was also one of the main reasons why the Admiralty ultimately chose him as its historical choice. Cook did not take part directly in the hostilities. After the capture of Quebec, he was transferred as a master to the flagship Northumberland, which can be regarded as a professional encouragement. Under Admiral Colville's orders, Cook continued mapping the St. Lawrence River until 1762. Cook's charts were recommended for publication by Admiral Colville and were published in the North American Navigation of 1765, and Cook received an officer's rank of lieutenant. From now on, the entire English vertical of power, including ministers and kings, had to call the son of a poor farm laborer sir. The iron will of Lieutenant Cook won another victory. He returned to England in November 1762.
Shortly after returning from Canada, on December 21, 1762, Cook married Elizabeth Butts. They had six children, all of whom died in childhood and adolescence.
Merits to the Motherland
James Cook led three expeditions to explore the World Ocean, all around the world. Cook did not complete the third expedition around the world. He died. During these three expeditions he made a number of geographical discoveries. More than 20 geographical features are named after him, including three bays, two groups of islands and two straits.
James Cook trained a whole galaxy of famous English navigators. Under his command at different times served: the future president of the Royal Society (analogous to the Academy of Sciences) Joseph Banks; the future governor of New South Wales and tireless fighter against corruption William Bligh, better known in history as Captain “Bounty” Bligh; the future explorer of the Pacific coast North America George Vancouver; botanist, ornithologist, zoologist Johann Reingold Forster and his son Georg Forster, the future Polish-German and social and political figure. Among his crew were seafarers who later distinguished themselves in the service of the Russian Empire. Thus, a sailor from his ship, Joseph Billings, led in 1785-1792, already as a captain, a Russian expedition to the Arctic and Pacific oceans, and another sailor James Trevenen, then in Russian service, distinguished himself during the war with Sweden (he died in the Vyborg naval battle in July 1790).
James Cook made a kind of revolution in navigation, learning to successfully fight such a dangerous and widespread disease at that time as scurvy. Mortality from it during his voyages was practically reduced to zero.
From the middle of the 18th century, the struggle between the great powers of the then world for the annexation of new lands to their territory flared up with renewed vigor. All the great powers were then grouped in Europe. Portugal and Spain by that time had essentially withdrawn from this geopolitical game, content with what they had conquered earlier. England and France remained. They competed with each other for new lands in the Pacific Ocean. Accordingly, James Cook had both an official goal and secret orders from the English Admiralty in all 3 of his trips around the world.
First circumnavigation(1768 – 1771) . The official purpose of the expedition was to study the passage of Venus through the disk of the Sun. However, in secret orders received by Cook, he was instructed to immediately after completing astronomical observations go to the southern latitudes in search of the so-called Southern Continent (also known as TerraIncognita). Also, the purpose of the expedition was to establish the coasts of Australia, especially its eastern coast.
Cook had the three-masted ship Endever at his disposal. For astronomical observations of Venus, Cook made a stop on the island of Tahiti. Then, after the discovery of four islands from the Society group, he walked along the “empty” ocean for more than 2.5 thousand km and on October 8, 1769 reached an unknown land with high, snow-covered mountains. This was New Zealand. Cook became convinced that these were two large islands separated by a strait, which later received his name. In the summer, Cook first approached the east coast of Australia, which he declared a British possession (New South Wales). He discovered the Great Barrier Reef. From Cook's journals, Europeans first learned the words "kangaroo" and "taboo".
Second circumnavigation (1772 – 1775) . Cook's second circumnavigation is more often called the Antarctic. The specific goals that the Admiralty set for the second expedition remained unknown. It is only known that this time Cook was intensively searching for the notorious Southern Continent in order to get ahead of the French. French expeditions were sent in the late sixties of the 18th century to search for the southern continent. They are associated with the names of Bougainville, Surville, Marionadu Fresnes, Kerguelen. The French, like the British, also searched for the Southern continent because of geopolitical interests rather than scientific ones.
When Christopher Columbus set out on his first voyage to the New World in 1492, he was confident that he would discover a group of islands 2,400 nautical miles west of Spain, near Japan. Columbus dreamed of building cities there and establishing trade with Europe in gold, pearls and spices. He called these islands the Indies, and imagined himself to be the great ruler of these lands. Columbus's plans coincided with the interests of the Spanish kings. Wars with the Moors devastated the royal treasury, and the rich lands of the Indies were seduced by promises of quick profit.
This time Cook had two ships at his disposal - the three-masted sloop Rezolyushin and the three-masted sloop Adventure. In January 1773, Cook crossed the Antarctic Circle (40° east longitude) for the first time in the history of navigation and went beyond 66° south latitude. In the summer of this year, he unsuccessfully tried to search for the Southern continent twice more, reaching 71° 10" south latitude. Despite the conviction that there was land near the pole, he abandoned subsequent attempts, considering it impossible due to the accumulation of ice to further sail to the south. In the Pacific in the ocean on the way back, he discovered the islands of New Caledonia, Norfolk and a number of atolls, South Georgia and the “Sandwich Land” (South Sandwich Islands). While sailing in Antarctic waters, Cook buried the legend of the giant Southern continent. In Russia, they did not believe Cook. And rightly so did. The southern continent was discovered not by the British, not by the French, but by Russian naval commanders F. Bellingshausen and M. Lazarev in 1820.
Death of a Hero
After the second expedition around the world, James Cook received another military rank post-captain, was admitted to membership of the Royal Geographical Society and awarded its gold medal. He gets a good position in the naval hospital with an annual salary of 230 pounds, which was an honorary sinecure. But Cook considered that he had not yet had enough of the swim and refused the sinecure. At this time, the third round-the-world expedition arrived. Cook decided to lead it. The decision turned out to be fatal.
Third circumnavigation of the world (1776 – 1779) . At this time, the British Admiralty watched with alarm how Russian empire successfully developing the North-West Pacific Ocean After Vitus Bering opened the strait between Asia and America in 1728, Russia successfully developed the Aleutian Islands, Alaska, and the islands of the Kuril chain. And the British did not have a single base in this area of the world. The bosses in the English Admiralty reasoned something like this: “Who are we? A great power or some kind of seeding... We need to show these Russians who is the boss of the sea.” For this purpose, an expedition was organized.
James Cook received an order from the Admiralty to find another, Northwest Passage from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean, i.e. check whether it is possible to get into the Pacific Ocean through the Arctic Ocean, staying close to the Canadian coast and Alaska.
This time Captain James Cook also commanded two ships. The flagship was the same "Rezolyushin", which had proven itself with best side on his second trip around the world. The second ship was called Discovery, it was commanded by Charles Clark. The expedition set sail from the English shores in mid-July 1776, and in December headed towards Australia through the Cape of Good Hope. In early December 1777, the expedition began its mission. The ships sailed north. Immediately after crossing the equator, Cook discovered the world's largest atoll island. Since this happened on December 24, the land was named Christmas Island. Three weeks later Cook opened Hawaiian Islands. After this, the small squadron sailed northeast to the lands of North America. Then the cold waters began. The expedition passed through the Bering Strait and ended up in the Chukchi Sea. The expedition encountered drifting ice and cold winds. Fragile ships with unreliable hulls could not move in such an environment. More or less strong ice floes could simply crush ships like nutshells. Cook gave the command to turn back. He decided to spend the winter on the Hawaiian Islands he discovered. A small squadron arrived to them at the end of November 1778. The ships dropped anchor near uncharted shores. The main task was to repair ships. They were pretty battered in the northern waters. The issue of provisions was also acute. The British decided to buy it from the local population. Those. contact with the Aborigines was inevitable.
Usually Kuku is given credit for his tolerant and friendly attitude towards the indigenous inhabitants of the territories he visited, i.e. political correctness. In other words, Cook wanted to be a good colonialist. But this was what ruined him. At first, the natives took him for a god. Then they thought: “Why is he so polite? He doesn’t hit, doesn’t punish, but only pats him on the head. Yes, he is no god.” Having thought this, the previously polite natives began to snap, be rude and steal. After all, the aborigines are children of nature. And in nature, the struggle for existence reigns, not political correctness. But the crew members warned their captain: “Why, sir, are you being nice to the savages? We have to deal with them our way, the maritime way.” Cook was offended by such advice and ordered the crew to translate the naval dictionary into civilian English language like: “radish (radish, English) – badman (bad person, English)”, etc.
This time too, the aborigines initially mistook Cook for a god, fell on their faces before him, shouted to him: “O-runa te Tu-ti!” “O-rune” translated from Aboriginal means the deity of light and peace, and “Tu-ti” means Cook. Then the natives realized that he was no god, and began to be rude. First they stole the pliers from the ship repair shop, then the boat from the Resolution ship. An enraged Cook, at the head of an armed detachment, decided to deal with the thieves. An aggressive crowd gathered on the shore. When the detachment landed on the shore, stones were thrown at them. One stone hit Cook, he fired and killed the aborigine. The crowd went wild. Another stone hit Cook in the head, he fell, and the aborigines finished him off and four other sailors with knives. Their companions cowardly left the shore and sailed away.
Captain Charles Clark, who became the head of the expedition, ordered military operation, during which the troops landing under the cover of cannons captured and burned to the ground coastal settlements and threw the Hawaiians back into the mountains. After which Clark entered into negotiations with the Aboriginal leader about the release of the remains of Captain Cook. The natives understood this language perfectly and released the remains. The Hawaiians delivered to the Resolution a basket containing ten pounds of meat and a human head without the lower jaw, all that remained of James Cook. On February 22, 1779, the remains were buried at sea.
I am often asked whether there really are many cannibals in PNG. Personally, I have not seen cannibals. Everyone I encountered in PNG was very friendly and often even nice people. But they say that in remote areas, where neither tourists nor local authorities usually reach, cannibalism still flourishes. Although it was prohibited by law fifty years ago.
But Cook was not eaten. The fact is that there were no cannibals in Hawaii. They lived on the island of Fiji, they lived in Tasmania, they lived on the islands of Polynesia, they lived in New Zealand, but they didn’t live on Hawaii. But the natives there still had some cannibalistic habits. So, for example, during During the ceremony, only the left eye of the victim was usually offered to the presiding chief. The rest was cut into pieces and burned as a ritual sacrifice to the gods. Most likely, Cook’s body also underwent some kind of ritual execution.
Next, the new captain of the expedition, Clark, went north to look for a way from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean. On the way, he decided to make a stop in Kamchatka. On April 29, the ships entered Peter and Paul Harbor. The head of Kamchatka Magnus Boehm, having warmly received the British, immediately left for St. Petersburg to report. This time the expedition tried to break through the Chukchi Sea, and again failed. After this, the expedition again went to Kamchatka. On the way, Charles Clark died of tuberculosis and was buried somewhere in Kamchatka. In Petropavlovsk, the expedition was met by Bem's deputy, Captain Shmalev.
Then by Winter Palace in St. Petersburg and a rumor began to circulate that the aborigines had eaten Cook. In 1917, tsarism was overthrown, but the rumors remained. Over time, this rumor most likely reached the ears of Vladimir Semenovich Vysotsky. That's how the song came about. And glory to G-d. After all, the song is good.
Epilogue
In May 1823, the Hawaiian King Kamehameha II arrived in Great Britain for treatment. This is how it always is. Subjects are treated by local doctors, and bosses in London. The Hawaiian King is no exception. King George IV of England gave Kamehameha II a luxurious reception. Touched by Kamehameha II, he gave the British an aboriginal arrow and said that the white bone in the middle of its shaft was bone white man named James Cook. Four months later, Kamehameha II died.
In 1886, the arrow moved from London to Australia, where it was kept until recently, when the president of the Captain Cook Society, Cliff Tronton, decided to check the authenticity of the bone. DNA analysis did not confirm that the bone fragment belonged to Cook’s body, although the reliability of the analysis itself remains in doubt today, because none of Cook’s six children had their own offspring, and therefore scientists had to turn to the descendants of his sister Margaret.
James Cook short biography an English navigator and explorer of the World Ocean will help write a report about it.
James Cook short biography
James Cook was born on October 27, 1728 in the English village of Marton in the family of a day laborer. From the age of 7 he worked with his father, at 13 he began attending school, where he learned to read and write, at 17 he became an apprentice clerk to a merchant in a fishing village and saw the sea for the first time. In 1746 he entered as a cabin boy on a ship transporting coal, then became an assistant to the captain; went to Holland, Norway and the Baltic ports, finding time for self-education.
In June 1755 he was hired as a sailor in the British navy, and two years later he was sent to Canada as a navigator. In 1762-1767, already in command of the ship, he surveyed the shores of the island of Newfoundland, explored its interior, and compiled directions for the northern part of the Gulf of St. Lawrence and the Gulf of Honduras. In 1768 he was promoted to lieutenant.
In your first expedition Cook sets off to the expanses of the southern seas at the age of 40 with the rank of lieutenant. Its purpose is astronomical observations passage of Venus through the solar disk. It was supposed to take place in early June 1769, and it could only be observed in the region of the Southern Tropic. But there is another, more important one: it was necessary to find out whether the Southern Land (Antarctica) really exists, and if so, then it should become the property of the British crown. But as a result of his first trip, Cook fails to verify the existence of the mainland. Nevertheless, the expedition discovered and explored many islands, explored the eastern coast of Australia, declaring it a colony of England.
Cook's first circumnavigation of the world lasted a little over 3 years; he was awarded the rank of captain 1st rank.
The second expedition took place in 1772 and ended in 1775. Now two ships were placed at the disposal of James Cook "Resolution" And "Adventure". We sailed, as last time, from Plymouth and headed towards Cape Town. After Cape Town the ships turned south.
January 17, 1773 the expedition crossed the Antarctic Circle for the first time, but the ships lost each other. Cook headed towards New Zealand, where they met, as agreed. Taking with them several islanders who agreed to help chart the route, the ships sailed further south and again lost sight of each other.
On his second expedition, James discovered the islands New Caledonia, Norfolk, South Sandwich Islands, but because of the ice he was unable to find the Southern Continent. And he came to the conclusion that he did not exist.
Cook was the first to encounter and describe flat icebergs, which he called “ice islands.”
James Cook's third circumnavigation of the world took place in 1776 and lasted almost 3 years - until 1779. Again he had two ships at his disposal: "Resolution" And "Discovery". This time Cook was looking for new lands in the northwestern part of the Pacific Ocean, thinking of finding a passage around North America.
In 1778, he discovered the Hawaiian Islands, reached the Bering Strait and, encountering ice, returned to Hawaii. In the evening February 14, 1779 Captain James Cook, 50, was killed by Hawaiians in an open skirmish over theft from his ship.
Cook was married and had 6 children who died in early childhood. More than 20 geographical features are named after him, including three bays, two groups of islands and two straits.
The English navigator James Cook made his second expedition in 1772-1775. She was so successful that after returning home Cook could calmly rest on his laurels. He received a quiet position with a good salary - the Admiralty appointed him captain at Greenwich Hospital.
At this time, Britain was considering attempting to force the mythical Northwest Passage. The idea was that there should be a passage between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans around the top of North America. The Admiralty intended to kill two birds with one stone - it was decided that two expeditions would be sent, one would go to the supposed Passage from the Atlantic, and the other from the Pacific Ocean. The attack from the Atlantic was entrusted to Richard Pickersgill on the frigate Lion. It was planned to send two ships from the Pacific Ocean - Resolution and Discovery. The Lords of the Admiralty were faced with the question of who would command the Pacific expedition. Cook was the clear choice. But the Admiralty had already given him a well-deserved retirement and did not want to disturb him again. As a result, James Cook was invited to an elegant dinner, which was attended by Lord Sandwich, the First Lord of the Admiralty, Palliser, the head of the Main financial management Fleet and Stevens - Secretary of the Admiralty. They asked Cook for advice on who to appoint as commander of the Pacific expedition. Of course, Cook himself became the commander.
Cook's first assistant was John Gore, his second was James King (an experienced astronomer), and his third was John Williamson. William Bligh became the navigator. Captain James Clark was appointed commander of the Discovery. His first assistant was James Burney, his second was John Rickman.
On July 12, 1776, Captain Cook set sail from Plymouth. He had to set off alone because Clark was languishing in prison at that time for debt - he was the guarantor of the debts of his brother John Clark, who went on an overseas voyage without paying them. He was eventually released and Discovery put to sea on 1 August. Presumably, it was during his imprisonment that Clark contracted tuberculosis, from which he later died.
2 Tenerife
On the way to Cape Town, the Resolution stopped at Tenerife to take on supplies of wine and fresh water. Feed for livestock was also taken there, because the ship was a real floating barnyard, complete with cows and pigs, sheep and goats, all of which were personal gifts from the king to be distributed on the various islands of Oceania.
3 Cape Town
On October 17, the Resolution arrived in Cape Town. We had to stop there to fix the leak. The ship was leaking so badly that there was not a single member of the crew who would lie down in a dry bunk. When Discovery arrived on November 10, it found itself in the same poor condition. Cook let the cattle go ashore to graze, and when some of the sheep were stolen, he replaced them with South African sheep. Apparently believing that his household was not complete, he took on board rabbits and no less than four horses.
On December 1, both ships went to sea. On the 13th they discovered and named the group of islands Prince Edward. Twelve days later Cook found Kerguelen Island.
Driven by strong westerly winds, the ships, showing remarkable time, reached Van Diemen's Land (Tasmania) on January 26. Here they stocked up on water and firewood and made acquaintance with the very backward aborigines.
4 New Zealand
On February 13, the ships arrived off the coast of New Zealand at an anchorage that was familiar to Cook - Queen Charlotte Harbor. There he found wary, frightened Maori: they believed that Cook had come to take revenge on them for the death of ten people from the Adventure. They were stunned when Cook, having established who the instigator of that murder was, and it was their leader Kahura, did not deal with him on the spot. Cook wrote: “If I had followed the advice of so-called friends, I could have exterminated this whole people, for the whole population of some village or village turned to me in turn to destroy others - the most striking proof of how they lived in disunity."
Two weeks later the ships weighed anchor and set sail for Tahiti. Cook wanted to sail there on a direct course, but headwinds from the east prevented him. The ships veered off course to the west. On March 29, sailors saw the island of Mangaia, one of the islands of the Cook Archipelago. But the surf and coral reefs did not allow us to approach the shore.
5 Islands of Friendship
Soon there was a great need to replenish the stock of feed for livestock. Cook decided to go west to the Friendship Islands. On the way, they stopped at the uninhabited island of Palmerston, which Cook had discovered during his previous voyage, and collected some grass there.
In the second half of April 1777, Resolution and Discovery arrived at the Friendship Islands and stayed there until mid-July. They could have immediately gone to the North Pacific Ocean and tried to pass the Bering Strait. But the Admiralty planned a simultaneous attack on the Northwest Passage from the Atlantic and the Pacific, and scheduled it for the next year - 1778.
What is striking about this period is that Cook, that restless man, seems to have finally lost his ardor for exploration. He was told many times about the existence of the Samoan Islands to the north and the Fiji Islands to the northwest of the Friendship Islands. He had been told of a dozen other islands not too far from Tongataboo. But Cook ignored them.
6 Tahiti
On July 17, 1777, the ships set sail for Tahiti, where they arrived on August 12. And here Cook continued to remain in the same mysterious inactivity. The cattle were unloaded at Mataiea Bay, and Cook recorded with joyful surprise in his diary the impression he and Captain Clark made on the natives as they rode across the plain on horseback, animals the Tahitians had never seen before.
On December 7, both ships went to sea, on the 22nd they crossed the equator, and on the 24th they discovered an uninhabited island, which Cook named Christmas Island. There they stayed for 9 days, on one of which it happened solar eclipse, which made it possible to calculate the exact longitude and check the accuracy of the chronometers.
7 Sandwich Islands
On January 18, 1778, the crew of the ships saw two mountainous islands. It was latest discovery Cook - Hawaiian Islands. Both islands, Niihau and Kauai, were the westernmost of the large islands Hawaiian archipelago. Cook called them the Sandwich Islands, but they are now known as the Hawaiian Islands. Cook did not find the main island in this group at first, but discovered it later that year. It was the island that gave the name to the whole group - Hawaii.
Cook established excellent friendly relations with the Hawaiians. Apparently they took him for some kind of deity, because as soon as he stepped on the shore, they fell on their faces and remained in that position until Cook made a sign to rise. Cook found them to be a very attractive people. They were friendly, hospitable, did not carry weapons, unlike most Polynesians, and were extremely honest.
8 North America
On February 2, the ships headed northeast to New Albion - the western coast of North America - and on March 6 reached it between the 44th and 45th parallels, in the area of the cape named Cape Fowl Weather by Cook. Over the next month, the ships were caught in several storms, which slowed their progress north. Unfavorable winds forced them to stay off the coast, and as a result they missed the mouth of the Columbia River and the Strait of Juan de Fuca, which led to the place where the city of Vancouver now stands.
Both ships were so badly battered by storms after leaving Cape Fowl Weather that they urgently needed repairs. On March 30, they found a sheltered bay called Nootka. The ships stayed here for almost four weeks - trees had to be cut down to make a new mizzen mast for the Resolution, and in the meantime Cook became acquainted with the natives, who, judging by their flat, wide-cheeked faces, were clearly not Polynesians, they were probably Eskimos . They were friendly, harmless people. Having restored the ships, Cook set sail again on April 26.
9 Alaska
The coastline stretched due west - the ships were moving along the southern coast of Alaska. Now the Resolution was leaking so desperately that Cook was forced to find some sheltered anchorage, and he found it in a small bay now known as Prince William Sound. They keeled the ship and found that the seams between the frames did not even have traces of tow.
With repairs completed, they moved southwest around a very long headland now known as the Kenai Peninsula. The ships sailed three hundred miles along the Alaska Peninsula and its broken extension - the Aleutian Islands. They stopped briefly on the island of Unalaska, went northeast up to the tip of Alaska, then northeast and north to Norton Bay.
10 Bering Strait
At the northern end of Norton Bay is a headland which Cook named Prince of Wales's Point. It is the westernmost point of North America and the closest to the Asian mainland. Cook now sailed toward the Asian mainland through the Bering Strait and anchored in a sheltered bay he named the Gulf of St. Lawrence. The natives met there were polite, or perhaps simply reserved, and, judging by their behavior and substantial houses, they seemed to be the most civilized race Cook had encountered in the Pacific.
From the Bay of St. Lawrence, Resolution and Discovery sailed north through the Bering Strait, crossed the Arctic Circle, and then sailed into the Chukchi Sea. But they didn't go far. Three days later - between August 14 and 17 - the temperature dropped sharply, the weather turned bad, and suddenly they found themselves facing a mountain of pack ice that stretched from horizon to horizon. For a week Cook maneuvered, trying, with his usual determination, to find some kind of passage between the ice. He tried to break out of the ice, walking along the northern coast of Siberia, but was again stopped by solid pack ice. Summer is almost over. Cook decided to go south, winter in the Sandwich Islands and try again next summer.
They crossed the Arctic Circle in the opposite direction and passed through the Bering Strait, heading to Unalaska.
11 Aleutian Islands
Cook stopped in the Aleutian Islands on October 2. At Resolution, water was again seeping through the seams between the frames. During a three-week stop on this island, Cook met Russian industrialists who provided him with a map drawn up by the Bering expedition. The Russian map turned out to be significantly more complete map Cook, it contained islands unknown to Cook, and the outlines of many lands, drawn only approximately by Cook, were displayed on it with high accuracy and detail. Cook redrew this map and named the strait separating Asia and America after Bering. On October 24, the ships sailed towards the Sandwich Islands.
12 Sandwich Islands
On November 26, Resolution and Discovery reached Hawaii. They saw the island of Maui, the second largest in the archipelago. Both ships stopped at some distance from the shore - they did not find a suitable anchorage, and many natives swam towards them in their boats, carrying a large number of fresh fruits, vegetables and pigs. They sailed from Maui, and a few days later they saw the tall, snow-capped twin peaks of the island of Hawaii. Cook slowly moved along the coast, looking for a suitable bay. Due to headwinds, the ships had to circle the southern coast of the island for a long time before turning and starting to sail up the western coast. It was not until January 16 that a suitable anchorage was discovered in Kealakequa Bay. William Bligh was sent ashore for reconnaissance and, returning, declared that the bay was excellent for their purposes. There was fresh water and two villages, Kekua and Kavarua, which could supply all their needs.
The reception that awaited Cook and his crew the next day when they anchored in Kealakequa Bay was apparently without precedent in the history of Oceania. King, Cook's second mate, estimated the number of boats at no less than fifteen hundred, and they accommodated at least nine thousand natives who put out to sea to meet them, several hundred more came to the surf line, and hundreds more swam around like schools of fish, while thousands gathered on the shore of the bay. Palea, the chief, and Koa, the great priest, came on board and treated Cook with extraordinary respect bordering on reverence, and when he was ceremoniously conducted ashore, thousands of natives awaiting him prostrated themselves on the shore. According to Hawaiian folklore, one of their gods, Lomo (god of happiness, peace and fertility), went to sea a long time ago, but was bound to return someday. The Aborigines mistook Cook for the god Lomo, who had returned home.
Resolution was visited with great fanfare by the local king, Kalaniopa. During the exchange of valuable gifts, the king presented Cook with half a dozen extremely valuable feather capes, while Cook presented him with his sword belt.
However, after a week the behavior of the natives changed. They made it clear that, in their opinion, the time had come for God to continue his journey. They made it clear that the hosts were beginning to tire of guests whose maintenance cost them so much, and that the crews of both ships were consuming too much food. Probably the priests felt that the return of the god deprived them of power, their authority, which they so cherished, diminished.
Cook must have understood the hints easily. His plan now was to finish charting the Hawaiian Islands and then move on to Kamchatka before making a second attempt to find the Northwest Passage. They sailed on February 4th. When Cook returned just six days later, the atmosphere was colder. But Cook had little choice: two days earlier, in a fierce storm, the Resolution's foremast had suffered such serious damage that it was necessary to remove it and repair it.
Relations quickly turned from very strained to openly hostile. For the first time, the natives began to carry weapons and became impudent and daring. The number of thefts committed by Hawaiians increased every day, and the clashes that arose due to attempts to return stolen property became increasingly heated.
On February 14, 1779, Clark reported to Cook that a large longboat had been stolen during the night. Cook immediately decided to use the hostage-taking tactics that had served him well in the past. He decided to take Kalaniope aboard the Resolution and keep him until the longboat and plumbing tools stolen earlier were returned.
Cook went ashore with a group of armed crewmen in a longboat, boat and dinghy and landed at Kavarua. All three boats moved a little away from the shore, while Cook, ten sailors and Lieutenant Phillips headed towards the house of King Kalaniopou and insisted that he immediately go with them on board the Resolution. The old king did not object, but as they approached the water, one of his elder wives caught up with them and clung to his hand, begging him not to go on board. Then everything happened very quickly. Several thousand Hawaiians gathered on the shore and surrounded Cook and his people, pushing them to the water itself. Shots were heard, igniting the crowd. A fight began, as a result of which Cook himself and four sailors were killed; the rest managed to retreat to the ship.
After Cook's death, the position of head of the expedition passed to Captain Clark of the Discovery. On February 22, Cook's remains were delivered to the sea. Clark sent the Resolution and Discovery through the Bering Strait again to the Arctic, but just like Cook the previous summer, he was unlucky. Clark died on his way back to England, where Resolution and Discovery arrived on October 4, 1780.
A modern person only needs to order a ticket at the airport ticket office to travel to the other side of the world. But this was not always the case. Just six centuries ago, the continents of the Western Hemisphere and many of the islands of the southern seas were absent from maps. The golden period in the history of geographical discoveries occurred in the 15th-19th centuries.
Thanks to the fearlessness of the Genoese Christopher Columbus, Russian officers Thaddeus Bellingshausen and Mikhail Lazarev discovered new continents - America and Antarctica, and in 1788 the existence of another continent - Australia was finally proven. The name of this country is associated with the fate of an English naval sailor who for a long time was looking for the mysterious “Southern Land”. So, the hero of our story is James Cook. The short biography of the navigator is very rich, eventful, and fascinating. Many people still remember his discoveries from school. For those who have forgotten, or for schoolchildren who are just beginning to explore the fascinating world of geography, it will be useful to at least briefly familiarize themselves with information about the main milestones life path this brave man. So, what does fate have in store for him?
James Cook: short biography and what he discovered
On January 7, 1728, in the village of Marton Cleveland, Yorkshire, England, a son, James Cook, was born to a Scots farmhand. From an early age, the boy showed his intelligence and curiosity. But the family's well-being did not allow for a good education. From adolescence, he began helping his father by working on the farm. The only chance to see the world was to become a cabin boy on the merchant coal brig Hercules. Thus, at the age of 18, a young man named James Cook began his maritime career, whose biography serves as an example to follow for many sailors.
Thanks to diligence and discipline, two years later he was transferred to the ship "Three Brothers". The sailor devoted his free time from watch to studying navigation, astronomy and geography. He was especially interested in the descriptions of the voyages famous explorers. Work on a merchant ship associated with the transportation of coal was not interesting; he was attracted by unfamiliar countries.
Naval career
June 17, 1755 James Cook, whose biography and discoveries were associated with service in the Royal navy, took the first step towards his dream. He abandoned the prospect of becoming captain of the merchant ship Friendship and went as a simple sailor on the warship Eagle. The experience gained while working for the Walker shipowners helped him to become a boatswain in the shortest possible time (in just a month!), and two years later Cook was appointed master. In 1758, James Cook, whose biography will henceforth resemble a map of sea expeditions, sets off on his first great voyage to the coast of North America.
But this was not an ordinary walk, but a raid on a warship during the Seven Years' War between England and France. The main goal of this struggle was to intercept overseas possessions. At that time, the colonies of Britain's eternal rival exceeded the size of the overseas territories of England and Spain. Thanks to James Cook's knowledge of navigation and cartographic abilities, the fairway of the St. Lawrence River was laid, which helped the British win the fight for Canadian lands.
First trip around the world
For such maritime powers as England, Spain, France, Portugal and Holland, the discovery of new lands was not a consequence of a love of the unknown. These countries primarily pursued their mercantile interests, the main of which was replenishing the state treasury through the development of gold deposits and other minerals. The British Admiralty, by order of the monarchy, sent naval vessels in search of unknown lands.
On August 26, 1768, the English sailing ship Endeavor left Plymouth and crossed the Atlantic. Having rounded the coast of South America, he emerged through the Drake Passage into the waters of the Pacific Ocean. During the 3 years of his first trip around the world, James Cook discovered that New Zealand consists of two islands, and the strait between them still bears the name of the discoverer. He also explored and mapped the east coast of Australia.
Second trip around the world
Less than a month after returning home, James Cook, whose biography will henceforth be associated with the interests of the British Admiralty, again set off on a naval expedition for the next three years. This time his home was the ship "Resolution", along with which another ship followed - the "Adventure". The goal was the same as on the first journey: the discovery of new lands.
The expedition route ran past the coast of Africa to the southern latitudes, but the ships did not reach Antarctica due to a storm. During the journey through the waters of the Pacific Ocean, many archipelagos were discovered, and the number of the Adventure crew decreased by 8 people as a result of an attack by cannibalistic aborigines on one of the islands.
On the last journey
The third and last round-the-world expedition of the tireless Briton started in the summer of 1776. He was given the task of discovering a sea route along which he could reach North America across the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. This time, James Cook had at his disposal the flagship Resolution and the Discovery ship. Within six months they reached the shores of Tasmania. Having passed along the coast of Tahiti, the ships headed north.
On January 18, 1778, the islands now known as the Hawaiian Islands were discovered. But James Cook initially gave them a different name - Sandwich. From there the ships reached the destination of their journey. From America, the expedition headed to the Arctic and crossed the Arctic Circle. The sailing ships were unable to pass through the ice of the Chukchi Sea, and therefore it was decided to return along the proven route.
On November 26, 1778, the travelers landed at the Sandwich Islands, and almost three months later, James Cook and several crew members were treacherously killed by the natives. On February 22, 1779, the remains of Captain James Cook were abandoned to the elements.
Date of birth: October 27, 1728
Date of death: February 14, 1779
Place of birth: Yorkshire, England
James Cook- famous traveler. James Cook(James Cook), was one of the bravest sailors of his time. Traveled, discovered new lands and compiled geographic Maps.
James was born into a poor working-class family. After studying at school for five years, he was sent to work as a farm worker. Working on the land was not particularly attractive young man, and at the age of 18 he became a hired cabin boy on a ship transporting coal. Cook's masters were the Walker brothers, for whom he worked for about three years.
During his work, the young researcher was constantly engaged in self-education, studying the basics of such sciences as navigation, astronomy, mathematics, and geography. He did all this on his own, with only books as assistants.
After several years of working for the Walkers, Cook was asked to become captain of the Friendship. Cook refused this advantageous offer, deciding to devote himself to the navy. The young sailor had to start all over again, from the position of a simple sailor. They hired him on a warship with more than fifty guns. The experience in the merchant fleet did not go unnoticed and within a month of starting work, Cook became the boatswain of the ship “Eagle”.
At first seven years war the fleet is actively involved in naval battles. "Eagle" is no exception - he is a participant in the blockade of the French coast. He also took part in naval battles. After one of them, with the French "Duke of Aquitaine", the ship goes for repairs.
After two years of practice on a warship, Cook easily passes the Sailing Master exam and moves on to a larger vessel.
During hostilities in the Bay of Biscay, Cook performs an extremely difficult task related to cartographic research. Cook successfully completed it, which was one of the reasons for his appointment to the round-the-world expedition.
After continuing work at the mouth of the Canadian St. Lawrence River, Cook received invaluable experience drawing maps and in 1762 returned to England.
The marriage to E. Butts soon took place there. The couple subsequently had six children.
In 1767, Cook became the main contender for the post of expedition leader. The declared goal was astronomical research, but in reality England needed new lands. An expedition was sent to discover them. The ship was specially converted for her. Endeavor set sail for uncharted shores in August 1768.
Eight months later, the ship approached the shores of Tahiti. Cook was one of the few travelers at the time who treated the Aborigines with respect. He tried to avoid violence and murder, and this was noted with gratitude by local residents.
This continued exactly until two sailors deserted the ship. Only pressure on the elders helped return them to the ship.
However, one of the local chiefs accompanied the team off the coast of New Zealand. There were frequent and bloody clashes with the local population.
Military action did not prevent the opening of the Cook Strait, which divides New Zealand.
In 1770 the ship reached the east coast of Australia. A huge number of previously undescribed plants were discovered there. Since then, the bay has been called “Botanical”.
Soon problems began - the ship was damaged and practically could not continue sailing. The holes were somehow repaired by the crew members and Cook decided to continue exploring the coast along the Great Barrier Reef. The result was the opening of the strait separating Australia and New Guinea. Through the Cook Strait he led the ship to Indonesia. Scurvy, malaria and intestinal infections led to the death of most of the crew. In 1771 the ship returned to England.
A year later, the second journey began. His goal was a thorough exploration of the South Seas. It was advisable to do this before the French. Two ships of 1772 set off on a dangerous voyage. Six months later they crossed the Antarctic Circle for the first time. After this, the storm separated the ships and they met a long time later in Charlotte Bay.
This was followed by a visit to Tahiti, the Friendship Islands, and a stop in Charlotte Bay. The return route lay through Easter Island, and again Tahiti. In 1774, New Caledonia was discovered. Three years after the start of the journey, Cook returned to England.
Less than a year had passed before the two ships set out on the open sea again. Christmas Island was discovered in 1777, followed by Hawaii a year later. Then the path lay in northern latitudes, where the Bering Strait was described.
The next destination of the trip was the Hawaiian Islands. Relations with the natives did not work out and on February 14, 1779, Cook was killed in a skirmish with the local population. His remains were buried at sea.
Achievements of James Cook:
Participated as a leader in three around the world expeditions
During the expeditions, new species of plants and animals were described, and the customs of the inhabitants of new lands were described.
Made many discoveries in the fields of geography, astronomy, biology and botany
Dates from the biography of James Cook:
1728 born in England, in the village of Marton
1736 began schooling
1746 began working as a cabin boy
1755 left his job in the merchant marine and joined the navy
1762 began cartographic explorations in North America
1771 appointed commander of the expedition
1775 returned from the second expedition
1776 third expedition
1779 died at the hands of the Aborigines
Interesting James Cook Facts:
One of the first explorers who tried to treat the inhabitants of new lands in a friendly manner, bartering and buying what they needed, rather than taking by force and killing.
Some of the maps produced by Cook's team were used until the end of the 19th century.
The first of the captains to learn how to combat mortality among crew members from a lack of vitamin C.
Used maps compiled by Aleuts and Russian industrialists to describe the lands between America and Eurasia.
Available big number monuments and obelisks in all parts of the world dedicated to Cook.