‘Dictator of British Botany’. ‘Autocrat of the Philosophers’. Sir Joseph Banks has been called many things over the past few centuries. A towering figure in the development of British botany and British natural history during the 18th century, he voyaged across the World with famous navigators such as Captain Cook, visiting far away lands such as Australia and bringing back a plethora of new plant species to Britain.
This, however, was only the beginning of Banks’ extraordinary career. Upon his return to England, he became President of the Royal Society, where his stellar career as a naturalist really began.
In this documentary Jordan Goodman and the Natural History Museum’s Dr Mark Carine tell the story of Joseph Banks and highlight why he has such a dominant legacy in the development of British botany. Produced by Iris Gibson.
Up Next in Science and Technology
-
The Sharp End: Episode 1
What was it like to be on the frontline of a historic battlefield?
Filmed at the Royal Armouries, Leeds, Dan Snow gets hands on with the weapons that helped define history, handled by ordinary soldiers on the frontline - from Anglo-Saxon swords to World War I machine guns.
In this first episo...
-
The Sharp End: Episode 2
What was it like to be on the frontline of a historic battlefield?
Filmed at the Royal Armouries, Leeds, Dan Snow gets hands on with the weapons that helped define history, handled by ordinary soldiers on the frontline - from Anglo-Saxon swords to World War I machine guns.
In part 2, Dan gets t...
-
Could you Survive as a Victorian Work...
As new technologies emerged throughout the 19th century, and the use of water and steam power became commonplace, millions of rural workers, including thousands of children, descended on the growing industrial towns to work in mills and factories. Northern cities such as Manchester, Leeds and She...
10 Comments