Captain James Cook: The incredible true story of the World’s Greatest Navigator and Cartographer

Captain James Cook, a British Navigator, Cartographer and explorer was one of the pre-eminent sailors and innovators of his age. Now a controversial figure for indigenous cultures who see him as the instigator and symbol of European colonial expansion and genocide; the real James Cook was actually quite a different man to what has been imagined. Coming from abject poverty in rural Yorkshire England; raised among the pacifist and hard working Quakers, he dreamed of sailing to far off lands in the pacific since he was a boy. Working as an apprentice aboard a grubby Whitby Cat collier, he soon proved himself a hard working and competent sailor. He was later to join the Royal Navy and sail to Canada, taking part in the siege of Louisburg and Quebec, while learning the cartography and surveying skills that were to revolutionise the Navy from that time on. James Cook circumnavigated the globe three times, charted approximately a third of the unknown coastlines of the globe; beginning with his first voyage aboard the Endeavour, with Naturalists Joseph Banks and Daniel Solander. He was the first man to sail below, and above the 70th parallel, and his regime of hygiene and fresh food revolutionised the management of scurvy while at sea. For this, he was admitted as a fellow to the Royal Society, as well as raised from the rank of Master, to Lieutenant and then Post Captain -something that would otherwise have caused a scandal among the high society gentry, if it were not for his incredible reputation. In all three of his major voyages, spanning twenty years, he never lost one crew member to the disease, which was an astonishing achievement when compared to a 40% plus death rate that was typical of long range voyages in the time preceding his. His untimely murder in Hawaii robbed the world of a humble, humane and dedicated leader, whose legacy now risks being tarnished by historical revisionists more focused on political activism than historical reality. #captaincook, #jamescook, #realhero, #aussiehero, #endeavour, #Australia, #navigator, #cartographer, #circumnavigation 00:08:10 Whitby, the Walkers and his apprenticeship 00:09:42 The Quakers 00:20:00 Royal Navy career in Canada and charting development 00:31:15 Circumnavigation 1: The Venus Transit expedition 00:41:41 Tahiti 00:45:03 New Zealand and Tupaia’s Maori mediation 00:48:43 The New Holland Coast 00:53:51 Shipwreck and Aboriginal interaction 00:56:29 Rounding the top end and claiming New Holland 00:58:27 Disaster in Batavia 01:01:00 Circumnavigation 2: the 60th Parallel and terra incognita 01:06:00 Honours back home 01:07:17 Circumnavigation 3: Hawaii, Alaska and the Northwest Passage 01:11:25 Conflict and death in Hawaii 01:17:26 The “Noble Savage“? 01:18:46 Legacy and conclusion Searchable copies of both Cook’s and Bank’s journals are available : :// ERRATA / CORRIGENDA: Thanks to all the viewers who wrote in with corrections! Its difficult to produce this kind of material over many long hours without an editorial team, so the odd error creeping in is inevitable! 1. Linnaeus was incorrectly addressed as Swiss rather than Swedish. Sincere apologies to my Swedish viewers! 2. The opening sequences show Lenin’s bust rather than Stalin- for which I had no acceptable statue image- apologies for any confusion. 3. The pronunciation of Staithes has the “e“ remain silent. Apologies to my English friends 4. Elizabeth Batts Cook lived to be 93 and not 85 years old as was incorrectly stated in the film. The credit for the opening and closing melody (Adieu Sweet Nancy) is to the Ballina Whalers, recorded at the Bath Folk Festival in 2014, of whom I’m a huge fan and gratefully acknowledge. Film Footage used in this montage remains the property of its respective owners, and is used here only for educational purposes. Some viewers have complained about the music choice and volume - so I have uploaded another copy of this video -minus the music tracks- here: A narration-only audio version of this video (i.e. minus the music) is available on the Heroes and Legends Documentary Channel Podcast. Simply search on Spotify, Itunes or one of the other leading providers for details. If you enjoy my content, leave your suggestions and comments below, and please consider making a donation via the heart-shaped Thanks link on your screen; via PayPal or sign up as a Patreon supporter to help me continue making these unfunded educational videos: For resources, links to my other videos, merchandise, the latest social media posts and podcast links, please visit my Heroes and Legends Website: