The Age of Wonder

In 1769, when Captain James Cook arrived in Tahiti, he was searching for a place to dock his ship and restock his supplies. Young Joseph Banks, who had an interest in botany, wanted to find a new place with new plants and maybe even discover a new species. Banks joined Captain Cook on his trip to the South Pacific. He was eager to explore the unknown from the comfort of a large ship. Banks not only discovered many new plants and nearly 1,000 new species, but he also learned about stars and planets. And he documented his adventures along the way.