1 00:00:00,120 --> 00:00:01,920 Speaker 1: This Day in History Class is a production of I 2 00:00:02,040 --> 00:00:17,040 Speaker 1: Heart Radio, Hello and Welcome to This Day in History Class, 3 00:00:17,400 --> 00:00:21,479 Speaker 1: a show that discovers something new about history every day. 4 00:00:22,440 --> 00:00:26,280 Speaker 1: I'm Gabe Louzier, and in this episode, we're talking about 5 00:00:26,320 --> 00:00:30,080 Speaker 1: the time when a European explorer got lost while searching 6 00:00:30,120 --> 00:00:33,640 Speaker 1: for a mythical land and wound up finding the island 7 00:00:33,680 --> 00:00:48,720 Speaker 1: of Tasmania instead. The day was November two. Dutch explorer 8 00:00:48,960 --> 00:00:53,800 Speaker 1: Able Tasman recorded the first European sighting of the island 9 00:00:53,920 --> 00:00:58,400 Speaker 1: now known as Tasmania. He noted the discovery and his 10 00:00:58,480 --> 00:01:02,960 Speaker 1: journal entry for that day, writing quote, in the afternoon, 11 00:01:03,160 --> 00:01:07,360 Speaker 1: about four o'clock we saw land bearing east by north 12 00:01:07,400 --> 00:01:10,880 Speaker 1: of us at about ten miles distance. The land we 13 00:01:11,000 --> 00:01:16,080 Speaker 1: cited was very high. The next day the crew sailed 14 00:01:16,120 --> 00:01:19,880 Speaker 1: along the shoreline and Tasman gave the island a new name. 15 00:01:20,600 --> 00:01:24,479 Speaker 1: He didn't name it after himself, though that came later. Instead, 16 00:01:24,880 --> 00:01:28,600 Speaker 1: Tasman named it after the man who had financed their expedition, 17 00:01:29,120 --> 00:01:32,520 Speaker 1: the governor general of the powerful trade hub known as 18 00:01:32,560 --> 00:01:35,760 Speaker 1: the Dutch East India Company. He marked the occasion in 19 00:01:35,840 --> 00:01:40,119 Speaker 1: his journal, writing quote, this land being the first land 20 00:01:40,160 --> 00:01:42,520 Speaker 1: we have met with in the South Sea, and not 21 00:01:42,720 --> 00:01:46,399 Speaker 1: known to any European nation. We have conferred on it 22 00:01:46,600 --> 00:01:50,560 Speaker 1: the name of Anthony van Damon's Land, in honor of 23 00:01:50,600 --> 00:01:55,360 Speaker 1: the Honorable Governor General, our illustrious Master, who sent us 24 00:01:55,400 --> 00:01:59,720 Speaker 1: to make this discovery. In the weeks ahead, Tasman and 25 00:01:59,800 --> 00:02:03,440 Speaker 1: his crew would also discover the island of staten Land, 26 00:02:03,920 --> 00:02:08,280 Speaker 1: better known today as New Zealand, as well as Fiji, Tonga, 27 00:02:08,480 --> 00:02:12,920 Speaker 1: and several other Pacific islands. These were big discoveries in 28 00:02:12,960 --> 00:02:15,799 Speaker 1: their own right, but they weren't what Tasmin had been 29 00:02:15,840 --> 00:02:19,640 Speaker 1: sent to find. His true mission was to explore a 30 00:02:19,720 --> 00:02:25,959 Speaker 1: mysterious southern land known as Tara Australis a k a. Australia, 31 00:02:26,040 --> 00:02:31,240 Speaker 1: which was still largely unknown to Europeans by sixty two. 32 00:02:31,600 --> 00:02:35,320 Speaker 1: Dutch explorers knew there was some kind of large land 33 00:02:35,440 --> 00:02:38,639 Speaker 1: mass somewhere far to the south, but no one had 34 00:02:38,639 --> 00:02:43,480 Speaker 1: ever mapped or explored it. This uncertainty made the Southern 35 00:02:43,520 --> 00:02:48,360 Speaker 1: continent into a kind of legendary land. Some geographers of 36 00:02:48,400 --> 00:02:52,160 Speaker 1: the era went a little wild with their speculation. They 37 00:02:52,200 --> 00:02:56,560 Speaker 1: suggested that Tara Australis might be a massive stretch of 38 00:02:56,639 --> 00:03:01,240 Speaker 1: dry ground that covered the entire lower half of the hebe. This, 39 00:03:01,520 --> 00:03:04,840 Speaker 1: they argued, would almost have to be the case, because 40 00:03:05,200 --> 00:03:09,239 Speaker 1: how else could the southern hemisphere counterbalance the northern one. 41 00:03:10,160 --> 00:03:13,959 Speaker 1: In the end, they misjudged the size of Australia just 42 00:03:14,040 --> 00:03:17,720 Speaker 1: a little and able. Tasman didn't end up finding the 43 00:03:17,760 --> 00:03:22,560 Speaker 1: mainland until a second trip two years later. The annoying 44 00:03:22,639 --> 00:03:25,800 Speaker 1: part is he came incredibly close to finding it the 45 00:03:25,840 --> 00:03:30,200 Speaker 1: first time. By early December, Tasmin was just about two 46 00:03:30,320 --> 00:03:34,800 Speaker 1: hundred miles south of what's now Victoria, Australia. If it 47 00:03:34,840 --> 00:03:37,680 Speaker 1: weren't for bad weather, he could have kept sailing north 48 00:03:37,760 --> 00:03:41,720 Speaker 1: and bumped right into it instead. A full picture of 49 00:03:41,760 --> 00:03:45,400 Speaker 1: the southern continent wouldn't come into focus until over a 50 00:03:45,480 --> 00:03:50,040 Speaker 1: century later, when British sailors found what other explorers had 51 00:03:50,120 --> 00:03:55,120 Speaker 1: just missed. But even without a sighting of Australia, Tasman's 52 00:03:55,200 --> 00:03:59,120 Speaker 1: first voyage was still eventful. After he and his crew 53 00:03:59,240 --> 00:04:03,280 Speaker 1: cited tasm Mania on November, they spent the next week 54 00:04:03,360 --> 00:04:07,080 Speaker 1: exploring the island's southern coast as they dodged bad weather 55 00:04:07,280 --> 00:04:11,400 Speaker 1: and searched for a safe place to land. On December one, 56 00:04:11,600 --> 00:04:14,520 Speaker 1: they finally laid anchor and spent the next few days 57 00:04:14,600 --> 00:04:18,599 Speaker 1: exploring the island interior, The crew was grateful to find 58 00:04:18,640 --> 00:04:23,080 Speaker 1: fresh water and edible plants, which Tasman described as quote 59 00:04:23,320 --> 00:04:28,080 Speaker 1: refreshments for our own behoof. During their time on the island, 60 00:04:28,200 --> 00:04:31,920 Speaker 1: they reported hearing voices and seeing rising smoke and other 61 00:04:32,040 --> 00:04:35,520 Speaker 1: signs of human life, but they never actually met the 62 00:04:35,560 --> 00:04:40,479 Speaker 1: indigenous people of Van Damon's land. Still, even without a 63 00:04:40,520 --> 00:04:45,800 Speaker 1: true encounter, Tasman's reporting on the inhabitants effectively ended their 64 00:04:45,800 --> 00:04:50,279 Speaker 1: fourteen thousand year isolation streak. It must have been nice 65 00:04:50,320 --> 00:04:54,839 Speaker 1: while it lasted. Able. Tasman definitely got a bit turned 66 00:04:54,839 --> 00:04:59,200 Speaker 1: around while searching for Terra Ostrallis, but he still managed 67 00:04:59,240 --> 00:05:02,440 Speaker 1: to make some note double discoveries. For Europe. He charted 68 00:05:02,520 --> 00:05:05,799 Speaker 1: hundreds of miles of coastline, helped fill in some blank 69 00:05:05,839 --> 00:05:09,279 Speaker 1: spots on the map, and pretty much disproved the idea 70 00:05:09,320 --> 00:05:14,440 Speaker 1: of a dry supercontinent that wraps all around the globe. Sadly, 71 00:05:14,800 --> 00:05:18,520 Speaker 1: his patrons at the Dutch East India Company didn't see 72 00:05:18,560 --> 00:05:22,760 Speaker 1: it that way. Since Tasmin hadn't established any new trade 73 00:05:22,839 --> 00:05:27,400 Speaker 1: routes or trading posts, the company considered his voyages a flop, 74 00:05:27,880 --> 00:05:31,120 Speaker 1: including his later expedition where he actually made it to 75 00:05:31,160 --> 00:05:35,760 Speaker 1: the northern coastline of present day Australia, too little, too late, apparently. 76 00:05:36,600 --> 00:05:39,839 Speaker 1: As for the island he accidentally discovered on that day 77 00:05:39,880 --> 00:05:43,719 Speaker 1: in late November, it was eventually colonized by the British 78 00:05:43,760 --> 00:05:47,760 Speaker 1: in the early nineteenth century. The colonists kept the name 79 00:05:47,839 --> 00:05:51,960 Speaker 1: Van Damon's Land, but it was subsequently changed after the 80 00:05:52,000 --> 00:05:56,320 Speaker 1: island became self governing in the mid eighteen fifties. By 81 00:05:56,360 --> 00:05:59,920 Speaker 1: that time, the British military had nearly wiped out the 82 00:06:00,080 --> 00:06:04,200 Speaker 1: Aboriginal inhabitants of the island. The old name had become 83 00:06:04,279 --> 00:06:08,120 Speaker 1: synonymous with those atrocities, so the decision was made to 84 00:06:08,320 --> 00:06:12,520 Speaker 1: rename it Tasmania. It was a tribute to the island's 85 00:06:12,600 --> 00:06:16,440 Speaker 1: first visitor, the one who came and left in peace, 86 00:06:17,040 --> 00:06:19,919 Speaker 1: and who first put the island on the map, for 87 00:06:20,040 --> 00:06:25,640 Speaker 1: better or worse. I'm Gabe Lousier and hopefully you now 88 00:06:25,680 --> 00:06:29,760 Speaker 1: know a little more about history today than you did yesterday. 89 00:06:30,120 --> 00:06:31,880 Speaker 1: If you'd like to keep up with the show, you 90 00:06:31,920 --> 00:06:35,400 Speaker 1: can follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram at t 91 00:06:35,560 --> 00:06:39,440 Speaker 1: d I HC Show and if you have any comments 92 00:06:39,520 --> 00:06:42,400 Speaker 1: or suggestions you can send them my way. At this 93 00:06:42,520 --> 00:06:46,520 Speaker 1: day at I heart media dot com. Thanks to Chandler 94 00:06:46,640 --> 00:06:49,520 Speaker 1: Mays for producing the show, and thank you for listening. 95 00:06:50,080 --> 00:06:53,040 Speaker 1: I'll see you back here again tomorrow for another day 96 00:06:53,279 --> 00:07:03,200 Speaker 1: in history class. Yeah. For more podcasts from my heart Radio, 97 00:07:03,279 --> 00:07:05,840 Speaker 1: visit the I heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever 98 00:07:05,880 --> 00:07:07,159 Speaker 1: you listen to your favorite shows.