1768

1768 was a leap year in the Gregorian calendar and a year of notable developments in science, culture, and exploration. It saw the emergence of institutions and publications that would influence intellectual life in the 18th century and beyond.

In Britain, the Royal Academy of Arts was established to promote the visual arts and design under royal auspices, reflecting a growing state interest in formal artistic institutions. That same year, the first edition of Encyclopaedia Britannica was published in Edinburgh, providing a comprehensive reference work that would expand in subsequent volumes.

In exploration, Captain James Cook’s first voyage aboard the Endeavour departed from Plymouth in August 1768. The expedition was planned to observe the transit of Venus from Tahiti and to explore the Pacific Ocean, with early stops that would set the stage for extended voyages to New Zealand and the eastern coast of Australia.

Around the world, European powers continued their imperial and scientific activities, contributing to the interconnected Atlantic and Pacific worlds of the era. The events of 1768 collectively illustrate a shift toward organized cultural institutions, expanded encyclopedic knowledge, and ambitious maritime exploration that would shape regional and global developments in the years that followed.