James Cook was born on October 27, 1728, in England. He joined the British Navy in 1755. Starting in 1768, James Cook embarked on a series of explorations. During his first voyage, from 1768 to 1771, he mapped New Zealand and explored the eastern coast of Australia. His second voyage, from 1772 to 1773, took him beyond the Antarctic Circle.
James Cook began his third voyage in 1776. He explored the Pacific once again and notably discovered what would later be known as Hawaii. The navigator was killed by the natives of Hawaii on February 14, 1779. James Cook is remembered as a great explorer, responsible for mapping many Pacific islands and for making advancements in the prevention of scurvy among sailors.
James Cook’s Early Life
James Cook, born on October 27, 1728, in Marton, England, was the second of eight children. From a modest background, his father, James Cook, was a Scottish farm laborer, and his mother, Grace Pace, was English. He was baptized in his local church. The family settled on a farm in a Yorkshire village. James Cook attended primary school, but at the age of 13, he began working with his father on the farm.
In 1745, at the age of 17, James Cook became an apprentice in the merchant navy, and in the following years, he engaged in coastal trade. He studied algebra, trigonometry, astronomy and navigation. In 1757, James Cook passed the master’s examination, which allowed him to command a Royal Navy ship.
The Discovery of Australia
On August 25, 1768, James Cook and a few scientists were sent on an expedition aboard a three-masted ship, the Endeavour, to explore the Pacific waters. The expedition aimed to search for a continent called Terra Australis. The following year, they arrived in Tahiti to observe the transit of Venus. They then reached New Zealand. There, James Cook began mapping the area. He also identified a strait, which would later bear his name, the Cook Strait. Wishing to head towards Tasmania, violent winds diverted the expedition to a new land: Australia.
On April 29, 1770, James Cook and his crew landed at Botany Bay, a bay located near Sydney. A few years later, the British decided to establish their first colony there on the advice of botanist Joseph Banks. However, this bay did not match the descriptions or maps representing Terra Australis. On June 11, the crew explored the Great Barrier Reef, and the Endeavour was damaged. The crew repaired it.
Meanwhile, Cook, Banks, Spöring, and Solander, the explorers, collected samples of Australian flora. On June 12, 1771, the Endeavour returned to England after three years at sea. During this first voyage, none of his crew succumbed to scurvy. In 1776, James Cook received the Copley Medal for successfully maintaining the health of his crew with fermented cabbage and lemon.
His Voyage to Antarctica
James Cook’s first voyage led to many advances, particularly in mapping. However, scientists remained convinced that there was a larger, more southern continent. James Cook, appointed commander by the Royal Society, began a second expedition aboard a new ship, the Resolution. He was accompanied by navigator Tobias Furneaux with a second vessel, the Adventure. The crew set sail on July 13, 1772.
The expedition headed further south. On January 17, 1773, the ships crossed the Antarctic Circle but still found no sign of the continent. James Cook discovered South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands. He continued his exploration of Antarctica. During the voyage, the navigator made stops on Easter Island, New Caledonia, and the Fiji Islands. Upon returning to England on July 29, 1775, James Cook declared Terra Australis non-existent. After this second voyage, he was hailed as the “greatest navigator in Europe” by the House of Lords and became a captain in the Royal Navy.
Exploration of the Pacific
In 1776, James Cook embarked on his third and final voyage aboard the Resolution, accompanied by Charles Clerke on the Discovery. After stopping in New Zealand, Cook and his crew discovered Christmas Island on Christmas Eve, 1777. They were the first Europeans to land in Hawaii in 1778. The expedition continued but was unable to pass through the Bering Strait. James Cook returned to Hawaii, but tensions arose between the indigenous people and the British.
Death of James Cook
On February 14, 1779, James Cook had his boats stolen by the Hawaiians. He decided to take the Hawaiian chief Kalaniopu’u hostage until his stolen goods were returned. Unfortunately, a violent altercation broke out between the locals and the British. James Cook was struck on the head and collapsed. He was captured by the Hawaiians and died in Hawaii at the age of 50.
James Cook’s Family
In 1762, before all his voyages, the navigator married Elizabeth Batts. The couple had six children: James, Joseph, Elizabeth, George, Nathaniel, and Hugh. Sadly, only the eldest, James, born in 1763, reached adulthood. However, he died in 1794 at the age of 31. After James Cook’s death, Elizabeth received an annual pension of £200 from the Admiralty.
James Cook: Key Dates
October 27, 1728: Birth of British navigator, explorer, and cartographer James Cook
James Cook, born on October 27, 1728, was a British navigator, explorer, and cartographer. He joined the Royal Navy in 1755 during the Seven Years’ War (1756-1763) and contributed to the capture of Quebec by mapping the Saint Lawrence River. From 1766 onward, he undertook three maritime expeditions in the Pacific Ocean. He was the first to circumnavigate Antarctica and to map Newfoundland and New Zealand. His legacy has been immense.
April 20, 1770: James Cook lands at Botany Bay
On April 20, 1770, British explorer James Cook became the first European to set foot on the eastern coast of Australia. He landed at Botany Bay, named for its rich botanical diversity, and claimed the territory in the name of Great Britain. He charted nearly 3,000 kilometers of coastline and explored the reefs of the Great Barrier Reef.
September 4, 1774: James Cook discovers New Caledonia
Located east of Australia, New Caledonia was discovered on September 4, 1774, by British navigator, explorer, and cartographer James Cook. This discovery was made during his second voyage, from 1772 to 1775. As a frigate captain, he was tasked by the Royal Society with searching for the southern continent. It was on his return journey that he discovered New Caledonia, as well as the Tonga Islands, Easter Island, Norfolk Island, and the New Hebrides.
January 18, 1778: Cook discovers the Hawaiian Islands
During his third exploration mission for the British government, English navigator James Cook discovered the Hawaiian Islands, which he named the “Sandwich Islands.” It was on these same islands that he was killed a year later, on February 14, 1779, in an attack by the natives. In the meantime, his journey had taken him to the Bering Strait, where he was forced to turn back after being blocked by ice.
February 14, 1779: Cook killed on the Sandwich Islands
During a skirmish with the natives of the Sandwich Islands, now known as Hawaii, English explorer James Cook was killed. On his third Pacific expedition, Cook had come to winter on these islands after returning from the Bering Strait.