Terra Australis is a mythical land. It was introduced by the great philosopher Aristotle over 2000 years ago. The scientific argument, although flawed, does have its logic. The theory was that since there was massive land masses in the Northern Hemisphere – Europe are Asia – there should be an equivalent amount in the Southern Hemisphere.
On this day April 5th, in 1722, Jacob Roggeveen discovers Easter Island. His intention was to discover Terra Australis, which of course he didn’t because it doesn’t exist. Side note: Australia is named after the mythical land Terra Australis. Easter Island is famous for its massive statues called “Moai.” Roggeveen called the island Easter Island because he discovered it on Easter Sunday. Archeologists use Easter Island to illustrate the dangers of over exploration, as the Europeans came and brought diseases, in addition to slave raiding, to the indigenous people of Easter Island.
Roggeveen’s father was a mathematician, and Jacob was schooled in mathematics, astronomy, and geography, all of which help immensely with navigation. Roggeveen had an illustrious career prior to his explorations, as he was already over 40 years old when he went on his first exploration. Roggeveen had been a Notary, and later ran into some theological controversies as a preacher. He returned to the Netherlands in 1723 and died 6 years later.