03/07/2024
On this day in 1767, Pitcairn Island was first sighted by 15 year old Robert Pitcairn, who was a midshipman on the sloop HMS Swallow.
The ship's Captain, Philip Carteret (pictured) described the island as "scarce better than a large rock in the ocean" and incorrectly recorded the longitude of the island, resulting in it being harder to find later.
The uninhabited island was earlier known to Polynesians as Hitiaurevareva.
