y2meta.com-Famous Explorers in History - On board the HMS Endeavour - Schooling Online Kids Lesson

Our story begins in the Pacific Ocean. The year is 1769 and a boy named Nicholas Young is mopping up water on the deck of the HMS Endeavour, a 30 metre long ship from England. Let's take a closer look. Hi, I'm Nicholas. I am 11 years old and an assistant on board this ship. It is called the HMS Endeavour. A few months ago, he was asked to sail all the way to an island called Tahiti to record a scientific event called the Transit of Venus. We watched the Transit of Venus yesterday. It's when you can look up into the sky and see the planet Venus passing in front of the sun. It was super cool. Suddenly, a gruff voice interrupts, shouting, Nicholas! A grey-haired man wearing a blue and gold jacket quickly walks towards Nicholas on the ship's deck. His palms sweat with excitement and nervousness. It is Captain Cook. Captain Cook tells Nicholas that he has just opened a secret letter from England. The English government has ordered him to find the great unknown southern land. The great unknown southern land? Nicholas asks, confused. The land of Australia! Other explorers have come across a large continent in the Pacific Ocean which they call Terra Australis, or Australia. Why does the government want you to find Australia? Nicholas asks Captain Cook. Because they want to know more about the countries of the world and how to get there by sea, Cook explains. Understanding the geography of the world was just one reason why explorers journeyed to find new countries.