Jean-François-Marie de Surville (1717–1770) was a merchant captain with the French East India Company who commanded a voyage of exploration to the Pacific in 1769 and 1770. Born in Brittany, France, Surville joined the company when he was 10 years old. For the next several years, he sailed on voyages in Indian and Chinese waters. In 1740, he joined the French Navy. He fought in the War of the Austrian Succession and the Seven Years' War, twice becoming a prisoner of war. In 1769, in command of Saint Jean-Baptiste, he sailed from India on an expedition to the Pacific looking for trading opportunities. He explored the seas around the Solomon Islands and anchored in December at Doubtless Bay, New Zealand (commemorative plaque pictured). Part of his route around New Zealand overlapped that of James Cook in Endeavour, who had preceded him by only a few days. Three months later, Surville drowned off the coast of Peru while seeking help for his scurvy-afflicted crew.

Read more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean-Fran%C3%A7ois-Marie_de_Surville

_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:

1853:

Crimean War: Russian warships led by Pavel Nakhimov destroyed an Ottoman fleet of frigates at the Battle of Sinop, prompting France and Britain to enter the war. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Sinop

1953:

Mutesa II, Kabaka of Buganda, was temporarily deposed and exiled to London by Andrew Cohen, the British governor of Uganda. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kabaka_crisis

1979:

The Wall (performance pictured), a rock opera and concept album by the English band Pink Floyd, was first released. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Wall

1999:

Marconi Electronic Systems and British Aerospace merged to form BAE Systems, one of the world's largest defence companies. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BAE_Systems

_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:

laird: 1. (chiefly Scotland) The owner of a Scottish estate; a member of the landed gentry, a landowner. 2. (chiefly Scotland, historical) Often in the form Laird of, followed by a patronymic: a Scottish clan chief. 3. (transitive, Scotland) Chiefly as laird it over: to behave like a laird, particularly to act haughtily or to domineer; to lord (it over). https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/laird

___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:

I never wonder to see men wicked, but I often wonder to see them not ashamed.   --Jonathan Swift https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Jonathan_Swift