One more thing to mention about the context of these voyages, or rather their impact. Besides huge territorial gains and increased wealth, exploration of the Pacific contributed to Europe's romantic fascination with science. In the 18th and 19th centuries, Europeans became obsessed with mapping and charting and classifying the world, which maybe isn't like candlelight dinner romantic, but if you think about visiting never-before-seen lands and bringing back odd life forms, well, I mean, think about how we feel about space. And then, of course, as they colonized people, Europeans portrayed themselves as a civilizing force bringing both science and religion. Oh, it's time for the open letter? An open letter to the white man's burden. But first, let's see what's in the secret compartment today.