Exploration · Military · 1728–1779
Born: 7 November 1728 · Died: 14 February 1779 · Age: 50
British naval captain who led three voyages to the Pacific, charting New Zealand and Australia's east coast
Did you know?He was the first sea captain to successfully prevent scurvy among his crew by enforcing a diet that included sauerkraut.
James Cook mapped more of the world's coastlines than almost anyone before him. Rising from humble beginnings as a farm labourer's son in Yorkshire, he joined the Royal Navy and became a superb navigator and mapmaker. His three Pacific voyages charted New Zealand, the east coast of Australia and many Pacific islands, and pushed further south than any previous ship. He was killed in Hawaii in 1779 during a confrontation with local people. His voyages opened the way for European colonisation, which is why his legacy is viewed very differently in Britain and in Indigenous communities.
Captain James Cook (7 November 1728 – 14 February 1779) was a British Royal Navy officer, explorer, and cartographer who led three voyages of exploration to the Pacific and Southern Oceans between 1768 and 1779.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
“Ambition leads me not only farther than any other man has been before me, but as far as I think it possible for man to go.”
Profile
British explorer and navigator, born 1728
James Cook was born in Marton on 7 November 1728.
He made three voyages to the Pacific.
He mapped New Zealand and Australia's east coast.
He was killed in Hawaii in 1779.
Career highlights
Did you know?He was the first European to reach Hawaii, in 1778.
Questions people ask
1867–1934Photo: Henri Manuel · Public domain
1913–1960Photo: Photograph by United Press International · Public domain
1879–1940Photo: Unknown author · Public domain
1888–1970Photo: Nobel Foundation · Public domain
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1867–1934Photo: Henri Manuel · Public domain
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Last reviewed: October 2026