Cook and the Antarctic Circle

On January 17, 1773, Captain James Cook and his crew became the first Europeans to cross the Antarctic Circle.

Cook and his crew had left Plymouth, England, on July 13, 1772. The voyage took three years and was commissioned by the Royal Society of Britain. They planned on going as far south as humanly possible.

It took a while, but in the fog, those upon the HMS Resolution crossed the Arctic Circle. They almost encountered Antarctica’s mainland but instead turned toward Tahiti to resupply the ship. Before they concluded their trip, they again swept the South Atlantic to survey and map what they saw. They also took possession of South Georgia on behalf of England.