ames Cook's second voyage (1772–1775) is arguably the greatest sea voyage ever recorded. Tasked by the Admiralty to definitively settle the centuries-old debate over the existence of a "Great Southern Continent," Cook undertook an epic circumnavigation of the Antarctic region.

In this episode, we analyze how this voyage changed geography forever. We cover the perilous first crossings of the Antarctic Circle, the successful trial of John Harrison's H4 chronometer to solve the longitude problem, and the extensive mapping of Pacific islands from Easter Island to Tonga. We look at how this expedition didn't just discover new lands—it was crucial for proving what wasn't there.