Cook's Second Voyage: Circumnavigation of Antarctica
Sent to finally resolve the question of a habitable Great Southern Continent, Cook made three deep penetrations into Antarctic waters, crossing the Antarctic Circle on 17 January 1773 — the first recorded crossing. He circumnavigated the Antarctic continent at high latitudes without sighting land (the continental ice shelf lay just beyond his farthest south of 71°10'S). Cook declared that no habitable southern land existed, conclusively disproving a myth that had driven Pacific exploration for two centuries. He also charted many Pacific island groups including Tonga, New Caledonia, South Georgia, and the South Sandwich Islands.
- Year: 1772 CE
