1768–1771Reputable sourceWell documented
Cook's Pacific Voyages
On the timeline · around 1768–1771 ·
What happened
Between 1768 and 1771 the Royal Navy's James Cook, aboard HMS Endeavour, led a scientific expedition to the Pacific to observe the transit of Venus and search for a great southern continent. He charted New Zealand and became the first European to map the eastern coast of Australia, claiming it for Britain. Later voyages ranged from the Antarctic to Hawaii.
Why it matters
Cook's voyages opened the Pacific to British influence and science. His charts of Australia and New Zealand led directly to British settlement of both — and to the dispossession of their Indigenous peoples.
Sources
- Natural History Museum. The Cook Voyages · Reputable source
Related timelines
- The Age of Exploration → — Charting the last unmapped coasts