Calliope articles from May 2002

Calliope archives from May 2002

The sea becksons: James Cook's life began in a small farming village in northern Yorkshire, England. His father worked as a farm laborer, and the family live in a two-room clay cottage. (Musings).
May 1, 2002... That our rigging, sails &c [etc.] should be worn out will not be wondered at when it is known that during this circumnavigation of the globe, that is since we left this place to our return to it again, we have sailed no less than 20,000 leagues...

The enlisted seaman.(explorer James Cook's beginnings)
May 1, 2002... IN THE SUMMER of 1755, the simmering rivalry between Britain and France threatened to break into open warfare. British naval commanders made sure all their ships had a full complement of sailors and used press gangs when necessary to "recruit"...

Mastering the art of surveying.(explorer James Cook)
May 1, 2002... JAMES COOK WAS ON CAPE BRETON ISLAND, NOVA SCOTIA, WHEN HE SAW A MAN SURVEYING THE LAND using a small table set on a tripod. The man, Samuel Holland, was a military engineer. The instrument he used was known as a plane table. Cook asked to be...

The voyage of a lifetime.(explorer James Cook)
May 1, 2002... Lieutenant James Cook began his first voyage to the Pacific Ocean on August 26, 1768. This trip would totally change his life. Astronomers had calculated that in June of the following year a transit of Venus would take place. This meant that...

Fun with words.('fathom,' 'knot,' and 'sandwich')
May 1, 2002... WORD ORIGINS FATHOM Today, fathom is used as a unit of measure for the depth of water or the length of a rope or cable. It equals 6 feet. The term traces its origin to the Old English term faethm, meaning "the two arms outstretched." Thus,...

Sailing the seas.(navigation techniques in James Cook's era)
May 1, 2002... TO BE AN EFFECTIVE explorer, you need to know where you are, where you intend to go, and where you have been. This sort of information is especially important if you hope to return home. Captain James Cook did not have the advantage of our...

Glossary of terms.(sailing terminology)
May 1, 2002... Bark refers to a sailing vessel with its two forward masts square-rigged and its rear mast rigged fore and aft. Fore refers to the toward the bow (front) of a ship. Aft refers to the area near or toward the stern (back) of a ship. "Cats"...

The second voyage.(explorer James Cook)
May 1, 2002... WHEN CAPTAIN JAMES Cook returned to England in 1771, he knew there were some people who still believed in the existence of a great southern continent. Convinced he could resolve that debate, he submitted plans to the Admiralty to sail around...

An air of duty and discipline.(explorer James Cook)
May 1, 2002... CAPTAIN JAMES COOK MADE THE IMPORTANCE OF DISCIPLINE CLEAR to his men. As crew members of the Endeavour prepared to sail in August 1768, he read them the 36 clauses of the Articles of War, many of which dealt with discipline and punishment. ...

Life on board.(explorer James Cook's ship and crew)
May 1, 2002... JAMES COOK BELIEVED in keeping everyone busy during his long voyage. In favourable conditions, crew members were on watch three times a day. The ships' mates and midshipmen cleaned their berths and scraped the ship between decks. Caulkers,...

Kudos for a healthy crew.(Captain James Cook made health a priority)
May 1, 2002... "SAILOR'S SCOURGE" or scurvy was a deadly disease that frequently claimed many lives aboard ships in the 1700s. It also caused teeth to loosen and fall out, swollen joints, and sores. Was there no cure? As early as 1753, Dr. James Lind, a...

More than making maps.(explorer James Cook's voyages)
May 1, 2002... THE PURPOSE OF JAMES COOK'S VOYAGES WAS NOT JUST TO LOOK FOR UNKNOWN PLACES AND ADD THEM TO MAPS. IT WAS ALSO TO COLLECT SCIENTIFIC INFORMATION--AND IN THIS, COOK PROVED VERY SUCCESSFUL. EACH OF HIS EXPEDITIONS PROVIDED NEW DATA ABOUT PLANTS,...

Collecting botanical specimens.(plant collecting)
May 1, 2002... WHEN BOTANIST DANIEL SOLANDER RETURNED from his voyage on the Endeavour, he brought the many new and unusual specimens of plants that he had collected. Like Solander, you can make and display a fascinating collection of plants. The simplest way...

Captain Cook's final voyage.(in search of Northwest Passage)
May 1, 2002... WHEN JAMES COOK returned from his second voyage, he was given a hero's welcome. The voyage had been rewarding, but Cook was pleased to return to his wife and children. After long years at sea, Cook considered retiring from life as an explorer...

A fatal blow.(explorer James Cook killed in Hawaii)
May 1, 2002... Cook returned to the Hawaiian Islands in November 1778 and, with his crew, explored the islands' coasts for a couple of months. At Kealekekua Bay on the main island of Hawaii, Cook was greeted by a huge number of people in canoes. Some think...

Elizabeth Cook and her children.(wife of explorer James Cook)
May 1, 2002... DURING THEIR 16-YEAR MARRIAGE, ELIZABETH AND JAMES COOK WERE TOGETHER FOR ONLY A few months at a time--about four years in all. His duties as captain called him away to sea, while she remained at home raising their six children and managing...

Where in the world?(exercise using latitude and longitude)
May 1, 2002... Navigators use latitude (degrees north and south of the equator) and longitude (degrees east and west of the prime meridian) to pinpoint geographic locations. Latitude is fairly simple to determine with instruments such as a backstaff or...

Leonardo da Vinci. (Calliope's World).(artist)
May 1, 2002... Leonardo da Vinci was a famous artist. He painted and invented things. Leonardo da Vinci was born in 1452 and died in 1519. He lived to be 67 years old. He made some famous paintings like the Mona Lisa and a self-portrait that was fabulous. He...

The Great Voyage. (Calliope's World).
May 1, 2002... My name is Josh. I am one of Cook's sailors. I am in charge of guiding the ship. I have to study the stars. Today the ocean is diamonds on a blue silk cloth. I had trouble studying the stars last night. It was cloudy. We are stuck on a coral...

Captain Cook. (Calliope's World).
May 1, 2002... Caught on Great Barrier Reef A very smart person People like naturalists and scientists Three great voyages of discovery A great British subject In crash time he made people not worry Now sailing, he discovered Hawaiian Islands James Cook...

Books. (Off the Shelf).
May 1, 2002... Captain Cook's World: Maps of the Life and Voyages of James Cook R.N. by John Robson (University of Washington Press, 2000) uses excellent, clear, detailed maps, with routes and key sites highlighted in red, and explanatory captions both within...

Also recommended. (Off the Shelf).
May 1, 2002... The Art of Captain Cook's Voyages by Rudiger Joppien and Bernard Smith, four volumes (Yale University Press, 1985-1987). The Charts and Coastal Views of Captain Cook's Voyages edited by Andrew David, three volumes (Hakluyt Society,...

On the net. (Off the Shelf).
May 1, 2002... For a variety of links to Cook-related pages, see John Robson's site at: http://pages.quicksilver.net.nz/jcr/ For more information about the Captain Cook Society, check out: http://freespace.virgin.net/chris.jones/index.htm To check...

Endeavour sails again.
May 1, 2002... WHAT WAS IT LIKE TO SAIL WITH CAPTAIN COOK? To HEAR THE creaking and flapping, as wind and water met oaken timbers and flaxen sails? To live shoulder-to-shoulder with 80 seamen in a space no bigger than a classroom? In 1993, Australia...

The Cook legacy. (From Past to Present).
May 1, 2002... CAPTAIN JAMES COOK is a name known and recognized throughout the world. Like Christopher Columbus and Marco Polo, Cook was an explorer whose fame continued long after his death. Almost every year, new books celebrate his voyages and...