British explorer, cartographer and naval officer (1728–1779)
"Captain Cook" redirects here. For other uses, see Captain Cook (disambiguation) and James Cook (disambiguation).
James Cook
FRS
Portrait by Nathaniel Dance-Holland, c. 1775
Born
7 November [O.S. 27 October] 1728
Marton, Yorkshire, Kingdom of Great Britain
Died
14 February 1779(1779-02-14) (aged 50)
Kealakekua Bay in present-day Hawaii, U.S.
Nationality
British
Education
Postgate School, Great Ayton
Occupation(s)
Explorer, cartographer and naval officer
Spouse
Elizabeth Batts
(m. 1762)
Children
6
Military career
Branch
Royal Navy
Service years
1755–1779
Rank
Captain (Post-captain)
Battles/wars
Seven Years' War
Conquest of New France
Signature
Captain James CookFRS (7 November [O.S. 27 October] 1728 – 14 February 1779) was a British explorer, cartographer and naval officer famous for his three voyages between 1768 and 1779 in the Pacific Ocean and to New Zealand and Australia in particular. He made detailed maps of Newfoundland prior to making three voyages to the Pacific, during which he achieved the first recorded European contact with the eastern coastline of Australia and the Hawaiian Islands and the first recorded circumnavigation of New Zealand.
Cook joined the British merchant navy as a teenager and joined the Royal Navy in 1755. He served during the Seven Years' War and subsequently surveyed and mapped much of the entrance to the St. Lawrence River during the siege of Quebec, which brought him to the attention of the Admiralty and the Royal Society. This acclaim came at a crucial moment for the direction of British overseas exploration, and it led to his commission in 1768 as commander of HMS Endeavour for the first of three Pacific voyages.
In these voyages, Cook sailed thousands of miles across largely uncharted areas of the globe. He mapped lands from New Zealand to Hawaii in the Pacific Ocean in greater detail and on a scale not previously charted by Western explorers. He surveyed and named features, and recorded islands and coastlines on European maps for the first time. He displayed a combination of seamanship, superior surveying and cartographic skills, physical courage, and an ability to lead men in adverse conditions.
During his third voyage in the Pacific, Cook encountered the Hawaiian islands in 1779. He was killed while attempting to take hostage Kalaniʻōpuʻu, chief of the island of Hawaii, during a dispute. He left a legacy of scientific and geographical knowledge that influenced his successors well into the 20th century, and numerous memorials worldwide have been dedicated to him. He remains controversial for his occasionally violent encounters with indigenous peoples and there is debate on whether he can be held responsible for paving the way for British imperialism and colonialism.
Captain JamesCook FRS (7 November [O.S. 27 October] 1728 – 14 February 1779) was a British explorer, cartographer and naval officer famous for his three...
On 14 February 1779, English explorer Captain JamesCook attempted to kidnap Kalaniʻōpuʻu, the ruling chief (aliʻi nui) of the island of Hawaii, after...
The first voyage of JamesCook was a combined Royal Navy and Royal Society expedition to the south Pacific Ocean aboard HMS Endeavour, from 1768 to 1771...
JamesCook University (JCU) is a public university in North Queensland, Australia. The second oldest university in Queensland, JCU is a teaching and research...
The Cook Islands (Rarotongan: Kūki ‘Airani; Penrhyn: Kūki Airani) is an island country in Polynesia, part of Oceania in the South Pacific Ocean. It consists...
Dalvin JamesCook (born August 10, 1995) is an American football running back who is a free agent. He played college football for the Florida State Seminoles...
Statue of JamesCook may refer to the following monuments to Captain JamesCook: Statue of JamesCook (Anchorage, Alaska), Statue of JamesCook, Christchurch...
Murray JamesCook, AM (born 30 June 1960) is an Australian musician, actor, and DJ. Cook was one of the founding members of the children's band the Wiggles...
JamesCook's third and final voyage (12 July 1776 – 4 October 1780) took the route from Plymouth via Tenerife and Cape Town to New Zealand and the Hawaiian...
Elizabeth Cook (née Batts; 4 February 1742 – 13 May 1835) was the wife, and, for more than 50 years, widow, of Captain JamesCook. Elizabeth Batts was...
Captain JamesCook, FRS, RN (7 November 1728 – 14 February 1779) was a British explorer, navigator, cartographer, and captain in the Royal Navy. Cook made...
The second voyage of JamesCook, from 1772 to 1775, commissioned by the British government with advice from the Royal Society, was designed to circumnavigate...
The RRS JamesCook is a British Royal Research Ship operated by the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC). She was built in 2006 to replace the ageing...
JamesCook University Singapore is a branch campus of JamesCook University, a public research university based in Australia. Established in 2003, it is...
Picton in the Marlborough Sounds and Wellington. The strait is named after JamesCook, the first European commander to sail through it, in 1770. In Māori it...
The JamesCook University Hospital is a tertiary referral hospital and regional major trauma centre in Middlesbrough, North Yorkshire, England located...
JamesCook Ayer (May 5, 1818 – July 3, 1878) was the wealthiest patent medicine businessman of his day. JamesCook Ayer was born in Groton, Connecticut...
feature in Washington state, being described and named by JamesCook on March 22, 1778. Cook wrote: "... there appeared to be a small opening which flattered...
and on the East Coast of the North Island, they gave some to Captain JamesCook on his first voyage to New Zealand in 1769. Several casks of them were...
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