Article: Turkey – Shipwrecks

The link below is to an article reporting on progress to unearth and exhibit the remains of shipwrecks found off the Turkish coast.

For more visit:
http://archaeologynewsnetwork.blogspot.com.au/2013/08/ancient-shipwrecks-found-off-turkish.html

Italy: Genoa – Roman Ship Found

The link below is to an article reporting on the discovery of a Roman ship off the coast of Genoa.

For more visit:
http://www.thelocal.it/20130809/2000-year-old-Roman-ship-found-off-Genoa

Article: WWI Submarines

The link below is to an article that reports on sunken submarines along the British coast.

For more visit:
http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/british-archaeologists-explore-wwi-submarine-graveyard-off-uk-coast-a-911648.html

Article: Israel – Shipwrecks

The link below is to an article that reports on various shipwrecks off the Israeli coast.

For more visit:
http://www.livescience.com/25112-ancient-israel-shipwrecks.html/

Article: New Zealand Ship Found Off NSW Coast

The link below is to an article that reports on a shipwreck from WWII discovered off the NSW coast near Ballina.

For more visit:
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-02-05/shipwreck-identified/4502022

Today in History: 19 April 1770

Captain James Cook Sights What Will Become Australia

On this day in 1770, Captain James Cook sights for the first time the east coast of what will become known as Australia.

ABOVE: Captain James Cook

Today in History – 20 April 1770

Captain James Cook: Off the East Coast of New Holland

Captain James Cook had already made a name for himself in Canada with the Royal Navy during the Seven Years’ War prior to his first voyage of discovery. In 1766, the Royal Society hired Captain Cook to travel to the Pacific Ocean in order to observe and record the passing of Venus across the sun in Tahiti. It was on his return journey to England, having completed his primary mission and having mapped New Zealand by circumnavigation, that he and his crew decided to return via the east coast of New Holland.

The Endeavour reached the south-east coast of Australia on the 19th April 1770. On the 20th April Cook was off the east coast of what is now known as New South Wales. By doing so, he became the first European to discover and observe the east coast of New Holland (Australia). On the 23rd April 1770 he made his first observations of Australian Aborigines. On the 29th April Captain Cook made his famous landing at Botany Bay, which he named after the unique plant specimens found there by botanists Joseph Banks and Daniel Solander.

 

Today in History – 17 April 1524

Giovanni da Verrazzano: Discovery of New York Bay

On this day in 1524, navigator Giovanni da Verrazzano, discovered New York Bay. Verrazzano was employed by the French king, Francis I, to find a sea route to the Pacific Ocean in order to reach China. After a failed first expedition, Verrazzano in the ‘La Dauphine,’ left France on the 17th January 1524 for the North American mainland. Once in American waters he explored the east coast of North America, including the area from North Carolina to New York. During his journey he came into contact with native American Indians and entered the Hudson River. The area explored by Verrazano was named ‘New France.’

Verrazzano is thought to have been born in 1485, south of Florence in Italy, though more recent research would suggest he was born in Lyon, France. Verrazzano died during a third trip to America, when he was killed and eaten by native Carib Indians on the island of Guadeloupe in 1528.

As with any other day, there was plenty more that happened on this day in history. Among the more important events on this day in the past were:

• In 1492, Christopher Columbus signed a contract with Spain to find the Indies.
• In 1521, Martin Luther was excommunicated from the Roman Catholic Church.
• In 1534, Sir Thomas Moore was confined in the Tower of London.
• In 1970, Apollo 13 sucessfully returned to earth.