James Cook English navigator Date of Birth: 27.10.1728 Country: Great Britain

1. Early Life and Education
2. Naval Career and Arctic Exploration
3. The First Voyage: Tahiti, New Zealand, and Australia
4. The Second Voyage: South Pole and Pacific Exploration
5. The Third Voyage: Northwest Passage and Death in Hawaii

Early Life and Education

James Cook was born on October 27, 1728, in Marton-in-Cleveland, Yorkshire, England. He attended a local school and later apprenticed with a shipowner in Whitby, where he studied mathematics and navigation.

Naval Career and Arctic Exploration

In 1755, Cook declined an offer to become captain of a merchant ship in the North Sea and instead enlisted in the Royal Navy. He quickly rose to the rank of midshipman and, between 1759 and 1767, surveyed the coastlines of the St. Lawrence River, Newfoundland, and Nova Scotia. His accurate charts and observations caught the attention of the Royal Geographical Society and the Admiralty.

The First Voyage: Tahiti, New Zealand, and Australia

In 1768, Cook was tasked with observing the transit of Venus in Tahiti. He set sail with the ship "Endeavour" on August 26 and arrived in Tahiti on June 3, 1769. After successfully completing his mission, he continued southwest to search for the hypothetical Southern Continent and explored New Zealand, which had been discovered by Dutch explorer Abel Tasman in 1642. Cook's detailed survey of New Zealand's coastline disproved its connection to the Southern Continent.

Continuing westward, Cook discovered the eastern coast of Australia on April 19, 1770. He named it New South Wales and charted the coastline, accurately mapping Botany Bay and Endeavour River. However, he missed the Strait of Bass and mistook Banks Peninsula for an island.

The Second Voyage: South Pole and Pacific Exploration

In 1772, Cook embarked on a second voyage with the ships "Resolution" and "Adventure." He explored the waters south of Africa, encountering icebergs and reaching 67° south latitude. After crossing the Indian Ocean, he visited New Zealand and Tahiti before continuing to the South Pacific. He made important discoveries, including Easter Island, the Marquesas Islands, New Caledonia, and the New Hebrides.

The Third Voyage: Northwest Passage and Death in Hawaii

In 1776, Cook's third expedition aimed to find a Northwest Passage from Europe to the East. He explored the central Pacific, discovered islands in the Cook and Hawaiian archipelagos, and reached the coast of present-day Oregon in 1778. However, he encountered ice in the Bering Strait and was forced to turn back.

On his return voyage, Cook stopped at the Hawaiian Islands, where he was killed in a skirmish with natives on February 14, 1779, at Kealakekua Bay. His remains were interred there, and he became a national hero in England.