Captain James Cook – The Discoverer

James Cook was born in Yorkshire, England in 1728 to a farmhand from
Scotland. His first exposure to the sea came at the age of 18 when he was
apprenticed to John Walker, a well-known ship owner. At 21, he was rated
"able seaman" and worked on board ships in the North Sea trade. Being some
of the most challenging seas in the world, this was good training for his
future career. After 8 years at sea and working up the ranks, he was
offered the command of a bark. He chose instead to become an able seaman for
the Royal Navy. A tall man with a striking appearance and an excellent
power of command, he again rose through the ranks, and at the age of 29 he
was made Master of the HMS Pembroke. During the Seven Years War with France
(1756 - 1763), he was active in the Royal Navy and afterward began his
career in exploration.

In 1768, the Royal Admiralty organized the first scientific expedition to
the South Pacific and appointed James Cook as Commander of the HMS Endeavor.
He was called on to find the mysterious southern continent, or Terra
Australis, which was believed by philosophers to exist in order to balance
the northern continents. On this voyage, Cook charted all of New Zealand
and in 1770 came across the southeast coast of Australia. With the success
of this voyage behind him, he began to organize a more ambitious voyage.

Cook was sent with two ships to make the first circumnavigation and
penetration of Antarctica. On this voyage (1772-1775), he successfully
completed the first circumnavigation in the high latitudes and charted Tonga
Easter Island, New Caledonia, the South Sandwich Islands and South Georgia
Island.

The third voyage (1776-1779) was in search of a northwest passage around Canada and Alaska or a northeast passage around Siberia. This was unsuccessful because a passage navigable by sail ships did not exist. However, he did succeed in charting much of the North American coast. It was this voyage that led to his death. During an argument, he was slain by Polynesian natives on the beach at Kealakehua Bay, Hawaii. James Cook's discoveries extended to the fields of anthropology, natural science, medicine, seamanship, navigation and geography. His contributions changed the map of the world more than any single man in history.