1772 was a leap year in the Gregorian calendar. One of the most significant political events of 1772 was the First Partition of Poland, enacted on August 5, 1772, by the neighboring powers of Prussia, Russia, and Austria. The Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth ceded substantial territories to these states, diminishing its sovereignty and signaling the start of a long period of partitions that culminated in the loss of Polish independence at the end of the century. In exploration, James Cook began his second voyage from England in July 1772, commanding the ships HMS Resolution and HMS Adventure. The mission aimed to search for Terra Australis and to extend geographic knowledge of the Pacific Ocean. The voyage would contribute to the charting of vast and previously unfamiliar regions and add significantly to the era’s cartographic and scientific records.