Captain James Cook sets sail from England on board .

The first voyage of James Cook was a combined Royal Navy and Royal Society expedition to the south Pacific Ocean aboard HMS Endeavour, from 1768 to 1771. The aims were to observe the 1769 transit of Venus from Tahiti and to seek evidence of the postulated Terra Australis Incognita or "undiscovered southern land".

It was the first of three voyages of which Cook was the commander.

Cook'sFirstVoyage54
Cook'sFirstVoyage54 (Source: Wikimedia Commons)
Essay d'une carte rédute, contenant les parties connuees du globe terrestre
Essay d'une carte rédute, contenant les parties connuees du globe terrestre (Source: Wikimedia Commons)
Carte Reduite du Globe Terrestre by Jacques-Nicolas Bellin 1764
Carte Reduite du Globe Terrestre by Jacques-Nicolas Bellin 1764 (Source: Wikimedia Commons)
The Bark, Earl of Pembroke, later Endeavour, leaving Whitby Harbour in 1768 (cropped)
The Bark, Earl of Pembroke, later Endeavour, leaving Whitby Harbour in 1768 (cropped) (Source: Wikimedia Commons)

Watch: Captain Cook lands in New Zealand // 1769 Journal Entry // Primary Source

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Sources and further reading: Wikipedia — First voyage of James Cook, James Cook (CC BY-SA). Images: Wikimedia Commons.