January 18 1788 – The First Fleet Arrives in Botany Bay, Australia

January 18 1788 – The First Fleet Arrives in Botany Bay, Australia3.3 (66.67%) 3 votes A small English ship more than 10,000 miles from home slipped into Botany Bay on January 18, 1788 intent on bringing the most detestable of British society to the country Captain James Cook discovered nearly two decades before. The HMS Supply, scouting the shores in the horseshoe-shaped bay, was the advance party for an 11-ship convoy looking to establish the prison colony of Australia. By the middle of the 18th century, Britain was experiencing a population boom. Fueled by the discovery of modern practices of crop rotation and a vast increase in the production capacity […]