On This Day

Matthew Flinders is born

Matthew Flinders royal navy officer, navigator and cartographer, known for royal navy officer, navigator and cartographer, was born on 1774-03-16.

Matthew Flinders royal navy officer, navigator and cartographer, known for royal navy officer, navigator and cartographer, was born on 1774-03-16. Captain Matthew Flinders (16 March 1774 – 19 July 1814) was a Royal Navy officer, navigator and cartographer who led the first inshore circumnavigation of mainland Australia, then called New Holland. He is also credited as being the first person to utilise the name Australia to describe the entirety of that continent including Van Diemen's Land (now Tasmania), a title he regarded as being "more agreeable to the ear" than previous names such as Terra Australis.

Historical Significance

Matthew Flinders is Royal Navy officer, navigator and cartographer.

Key People

Matthew Flinders

Royal Navy officer, navigator and cartographer

Royal Navy officer, navigator and cartographer

Events Before

  1. Captain James Cook becomes the first person to cross the Antarctic Circle (66°33′ S)

    Captain James Cook (7 November 1728 – 14 February 1779) was a British Royal Navy officer, explorer, and cartographer who led three voyages of exploration to the Pacific and Southern Oceans between...

  2. Spanish painter Francisco Goya marries Josefa Bayeu in Madrid

    Spanish painter Francisco Goya marries Josefa Bayeu in Madrid

  3. American revolution patriot Paul Revere (38) weds Rachel Walker in Boston, Massachusetts

    American revolution patriot Paul Revere (38) weds Rachel Walker in Boston, Massachusetts

  4. American seamstress Elizabeth Griscom (Betsy Ross) weds American upholster John Ross at Huggs Tavern in Gloucester City,

    American seamstress Elizabeth Griscom (Betsy Ross) weds American upholster John Ross at Huggs Tavern in Gloucester City, New Jersey

  5. Boston Tea Party incident – Sons of Liberty protesters throw tea shipments into Boston Harbor to protest the British-imp

    Boston Tea Party incident – Sons of Liberty protesters throw tea shipments into Boston Harbor to protest the British-imposed Tea Act and escalating taxation without representation in the British Parliament

Events After

  1. British Parliament declares Massachusetts Colony in rebellion

    British Parliament declares Massachusetts Colony in rebellion

  2. Patrick Henry proclaims "Give me liberty or give me death" in a speech encouraging Virginia troops to join the American

    Patrick Henry proclaims "Give me liberty or give me death" in a speech encouraging Virginia troops to join the American Revolutionary War

  3. Paul Revere, William Dawes and Samuel Prescott ride from Charlestown to Lexington warning "the regulars are coming out!"

    Paul Revere, William Dawes and Samuel Prescott ride from Charlestown to Lexington warning "the regulars are coming out!" [1]

  4. American Revolution begins in Lexington, Massachusetts, with the "Shot Heard Round the World" fired later that day in Co

    American Revolution begins in Lexington, Massachusetts, with the "Shot Heard Round the World" fired later that day in Concord

  5. Second Continental Congress convenes in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, issuing paper currency for the first time

    The Second Continental Congress (1775–1781) was the meeting of delegates from the Thirteen Colonies that united in support of the American Revolution and Revolutionary War, which established American…

More from the 1770s

Frequently Asked Questions

What happened on March 16, 1774?
Matthew Flinders royal navy officer, navigator and cartographer, known for royal navy officer, navigator and cartographer, was born on 1774-03-16. Captain Matthew Flinders (16 March 1774 – 19 July 1814) was a Royal Navy officer, navigator and cartographer who led the first inshore circumnavigation of mainland Australia, then called New Holland. He is also credited as being the first person to utilise the name Australia to describe the entirety of that continent including Van Diemen's Land (now Tasmania), a title he regarded as being "more agreeable to the ear" than previous names such as Terra Australis.
Why is Matthew Flinders is born significant?
Matthew Flinders is Royal Navy officer, navigator and cartographer.
Who was involved in Matthew Flinders is born?
Key figures include Matthew Flinders (Royal Navy officer, navigator and cartographer).

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