James Cook

James Cook, portrait by Nathaniel Dance, c. 1775, National Maritime Museum, Greenwich

Captain James Cook, FRS (27 October 1728 – 14 February 1779) was a British explorer, navigator and cartographer. He sailed through the Pacific Ocean three times, mapping many areas and recording several islands and coastlines on European maps for the first time. He was the first British sailor to visit the east coast of Australia and the Hawaiian Islands. He made the first European maps of Newfoundland and New Zealand.

He sailed twice around the world. He crossed the Antarctic Circle and visited islands and landscapes in North America and the South Pacific. During his trips he spent a lot of time on science experiments and improving maps. He also wrote a lot of books about what he found.

Cook's life

Cook was born on 27 November 1728 in Marton in Yorkshire in England. He was a son of a Scottish farmer. He was educated at the school in Great Ayton, and at 17 he began work in a shop at Staithes. At 18, Cook became a sailor, and became an apprentice to John Walker of Whitby. Walker's business was transporting coal. Cook learned mathematics and navigation from Walker. He studied as much as he could about navigation and science. In 1755 he joined the Royal Navy. During the Seven Years' War he participated in the conquest of Canada. After the war he was sent on three expeditions with the ship called Endeavour all over the world.

His goals on these missions were:

• to find the Southern continent (terra australis incognita)
• to make astronomical measures of Venus
• to map new lands
• to take over the land for King George III
• to watch for good places for new military bases
• to find new routes between the Pacific Ocean and the Atlantic Ocean
• to establish an observatory in Tahiti

Captain Cook was killed in Hawaii in a dispute about a stolen boat.

Cook's Family

He had four sons and one daughter. Their names were Elizabeth Cook, Hugh Cook, George Cook, Nathaniel Cook and  Joseph Cook. His father’s name was James Cook. He had 3 sisters and 2 brothers. Their names were Mary Cook, who died at age 4, Margaret Cook, William Cook, Jane Cook and John Cook.