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Who encountered James Cook?
Guugu Yimithirr people
One of the indigenous communities that James Cook encountered when he first landed in Australia was the Guugu Yimithirr people, and they gave us a word we all use today.
Cook joined the Royal Navy relatively late in life. He cut his teeth as a mariner on shipping voyages in the choppy waters of North and Baltic Seas, and spent the next decade rising through the ranks and mastering the art of navigation.
What was Captain Cooks life like?
Cook was born in the small Yorkshire village of Marton on the 27 October 1728 to a humble rural family. Marked out early on from his siblings and peers, the young Cook received a good education thanks to the patronage of the local Lord of the Manor. At 17, he worked for a shopkeeper in Staithes near Whitby.
What did Captain Cook think of the Aborigines?
In 1770 Captain James Cook met few Aboriginal people on the Eastern Australian shoreline. Because they did not grow crops and because he assumed there were no inland fishable rivers, he concluded that Australia’s interior was empty.
Cook eventually joined the British Navy and, at age 29, was promoted to ship’s master. During the Seven Years War (1756-1763), he commanded a captured ship for the Royal Navy. In 1768, he took command of the first scientific expedition to the Pacific.
What did James Cook discover on his ship?
James Cook was a naval captain, navigator and explorer who, in 1770, discovered and charted New Zealand and the Great Barrier Reef of Australia on his ship HMB Endeavour. He later disproved the existence of Terra Australis, a fabled southern continent.
Why did James Cook set sail for Australia?
The great explorer had not discovered the Australian continent per se, but he had conquered new lands for the British Crown. In the years to follow, British ships set sail for Australia and occupied the continent. Only eight years after Cook had staked his claim, the land was made a penal colony.
What did James Cook do during the Seven Years War?
During the Seven Years War (1756-1763), he commanded a captured ship for the Royal Navy. In 1768, he took command of the first scientific expedition to the Pacific. In 1770, on his ship the HMB Endeavour, Cook discovered and charted New Zealand and the Great Barrier Reef of Australia.