1728-1779
James Cook became one of the most famous eighteenth-century British navigators and cartographers. Cook was born into a farming family in north Yorkshire. At age thirteen, Cook’s father sent him to apprentice with a local shopkeeper. According to mythology, the young Cook spent most of his time staring out the shop’s window at the sea. Whether true or not, the shopkeeper declared Cook ill-suited for that profession. He then became an apprentice in the merchant navy, where he learned navigation and astronomy.
As Britain prepared for war with France, Cook joined the Royal Navy in 1755. During the French and Indian War (1755-1763), the young sailor earned a reputation for his accuracy in cartography. In 1759 Cook surveyed and piloted the British fleet through the St. Lawrence River. During the critical battle over Quebec, the Plains of Abraham, the British commander depended on Cook’s maps of the St. Lawrence River to devise his winning strategy.
After the war, Cook embarked on an often dangerous mission to map the jagged coastline of Newfoundland. The treacherous and unknown elements of the Newfoundland coast challenged both Cook’s seamanship and charting abilities. By 1767, however, he produced a remarkably accurate map of Britain’s newly acquired territory. The Newfoundland charting mission brought Cook to the attention of British Admiralty and the Royal Society for the Improvement of Natural Society.
Between 1768 and 1779, Cook conducted three extensive navigation missions through the Pacific Ocean. The British Admiralty expected the expedition to locate and chart the Australian continent. During his first voyage, Cook, commanding the HMS Endeavor, became the second known European to land on New Zealand and the first European to explore and chart Australia’s eastern coastline. A group of Aborigine inhabitants attempted to prevent the intruders from landing as the British vessel dropped anchor in Botany Bay. The British sailors used their guns to force the warriors to retreat, making the first encounter between Europeans and Aborigines a hostile one. As Cook sailed further north along the coast, his ship struck the Great Barrier Reef. His crew needed to spend several weeks repairing the vessel. During this time, Cook established fairly cordial relations with the surrounding indigenous groups. After publishing the journals from his first journey (1768-1771), he gained a certain level of notoriety in Britain.
Only two months after his first mission, Cook departed for his second major journey (1772-1775). He piloted the HMS Resolution and circumnavigated the globe along a southern latitude. He charted South Georgia, Easter Island, Vanuatu, and numerous other islands. This journey resulted in more tense encounters with indigenous populations. Some of Cook’s men lost their lives in skirmishes with New Zealand’s Maori populations.
During Cook’s last major expedition (1776-1779), he became the first European to visit the Hawaiian Islands. Cook initially named these Pacific islands the Sandwich Islands after his benefactor, the fourth Earl of Sandwich. The Polynesian inhabitants, who happened to be celebrating an important religious ritual, greeted Cook with great reverence during their first encounter. This goodwill, however, did not last. On Cook’s second trip to Hawaii, his men engaged in a bloody battle after the local population stole one of their smaller boats. During the conflict, the inhabitants stabbed and bludgeoned Cook to death.
Cook’s name still has great currency and one can find many monuments in his honor throughout the globe. He also has several universities and other educational facilities named in his honor.
