View of the Ice Islands as seen in Cook’s Second Voyage on Jan. 9. 1773.

Title

View of the Ice Islands as seen in Cook’s Second Voyage on Jan. 9. 1773.

Description

View shows how James Cook first encountered icebergs on his second voyage on the 51st parallel (South Atlantic) on January 9, 1773. This was about five degrees south than the mainland discovered by Bouvet. Not seeing the Bouvet Island, Cook assumed that Bouvet had mistaken an iceberg for mainland.

ca. 1776

Artist

Hogg (1778-1824)

Alexander Hogg (1778-1824) was a publisher of books, maps and prints. He was active in London and worked under the sign of the Kings Arms in Paternoster Row. He became known for his publications of James Cook's voyages of discovery.

Historical Description

While the South Pole lies on a continental land mass, the North Pole is located in the middle of the Arctic Ocean amid waters that are almost permanently covered with constantly shifting sea ice. Attempts to reach the North Pole began in the late 19th century, with the record for "Farthest North" being surpassed on numerous occasions. The first undisputed expedition to reach the North Pole was that of the airship Norge, which overflew the area in 1926 with 16 men on board, including expedition leader Roald Amundsen. Three prior expeditions – led by Frederick Cook (1908, land), Robert Peary (1909, land) and Richard E. Byrd (1926, aerial) – were once also accepted as having reached the Pole. However, in each case later analysis of expedition data has cast doubt upon the accuracy of their claims.