João da Nova Castella, a Portuguese seafarer, discovered Ascension Island in 1501. However, his visit was not recorded and so it was Alphonse d’Albuquerque, also Portuguese, who rediscovered the island two years later on Ascension Day and named the island. Many notable historical characters have visited Ascension, including Captain James Cook who stopped by in 1775 on HMS Resolution in order to obtain turtle meat for his onward journey. Charles Darwin also visited in 1836 on board HMS Beagle, although his 1876 writings indicated that he was not very impressed with the island. |