The Daily Teaser — 26-8-2013: The Voyages of Captain Cook

Am I going mad … ?

No, seriously … ?   Because, if I didn’t know any better, I’d SWEAR a dog was barking, last night … !

Well, I say barking: howling, occasionally.

I have to admit to wondering whether I was imagining things: although I don’t think I was.

And if I wasn’t … ?   

Well, I think I’d like to know what was going on … !

Hmmm … 

Let’s move on, shall we?   BEFORE my diseased imaginings get TOO obvious … 

~≈Œ≈~

Yesterday’s Teaser saw Debbi* putting in her answers: and bagging five out of five.

Let’s see how she — and you — do with today’s exploratory questions, shall we?   Here they are, along with the ‘How To’, License and video … 

Q1) 26th August saw Captain James Cook set off on his first voyage of exploration.   In which year of the 1760s … ?

Q2) More to the point, what was the name of his ship … ?

Q3) That first voyage was — in part — to observe the transit of which planet … ?

Q4) It was also trying to find the Terra Australis Incognita, or Unknown Southern … what … ?

Q5) As part of this voyage, Cook managed to map which modern island nation … ?

Q6) Which English king commissioned Cook’s first voyage … ?

Q7) Finally … When James Cook landed back in Britain, in 1771, at which Kentish town did he land … ?

Here’s yesterday’s questions and answers …

Q1) 25th August, 1609, saw Galileo Galilei demonstrate his first telescope: to lawmakers in which Italian city … ?

A1) Venice.

Q2) More to the point, was it a reflecting, refracting or radio telescope … ?

A2) Refracting.

Q3) Galileo stated the Earth moved around the Sun: famously agreeing with which Polish astronomer?

A3) Nicolaus Copernicus.

Q4) When tried for heresy by the Roman Catholic Church, Galileo is supposed to have — rebelliously — muttered what … ?

A4) “And yet it moves”: or “Eppur si muove”, in Renaissance Italian.

Q5) Finally … the four Galilean moons are named in Galileo Galilei’s honour.  The moons orbit which planet … ?

A5) Jupiter.

Enjoy those.

I’ll leave you with this thought from Captain Cook’s journal.

“ … the Southermost Point of land we had in sight which bore from us W₁/₄S I judged to lay in the Latitude of 38°..0’ S° and in the Longitude of 211°..07’ W t from the Meridion of Greenwich. I have named it Point Hicks, because Leuit t Hicks was the first who discover’d this land.”

From James Cook’s journal entry on the discovery of Australia.

And with this crash course about the Captain … 

Enjoy your day.

*        Oooh, Debbi: did I tell you I’ve just had a BBC4 documentary on about flamenco … ?   Amazing piece to watch: although possibly not as amazing as the music, itself.