1769 Transit of Venus observed from Tahiti search for the alleged southern continent. HMS Bark "Endeavour" was chosen to take the astronomers and other scientists to Tahiti. James Cook was commissioned as Lieutenant and appointed to command the vessel. Cook was the obvious choice as he was an outstanding seaman with navigational qualifications, a capable astronomer and had observed a 1766 annular eclipse in Newfoundland that was communicated to the Royal Society by John Bevis. Once the "Endeavour" arrived on the island, Cook decided to set up the Venus transit observatory on shore. He required a completely stable platform which the ship could not provide and plenty
George Anson (British Army officer, born 1769) Olympic rower, is a direct descendant of Sir George Anson. George Anson (British Army officer, born 1769) General Sir George Anson, GCB (1769 – 4 November 1849), was a British officer and politician from the Anson family. He commanded a British cavalry brigade under the Duke of Wellington during the Peninsular War and sat for many years as a Whig Member of Parliament. Anson was the second son of George Anson (previously Adams) and his wife The Hon. Mary Vernon, daughter of the first Lord Vernon. He had an elder brother, Thomas Anson, 1st Viscount Anson, and a younger brother,