British scientist, naval officer and explorer Captain James Cook is famous for his three expeditions to the Pacific Ocean in the 18th Century. During these epic voyages, he explored far and wide, travelling as far north as the Bering Strait and south to the Antarctic Circle. He discovered many new lands, including Australia and New Zealand. Captain Cook was also one of the first Europeans to visit Hawaii and to cross the Antarctic Circle.
Here are ten Captain Cook explorer facts that you may not have known that answer many intriguing questions, including: When was Captain James Cook born? What did James Cook discover? When did Captain James Cook find Australia? How did Captain James Cook die and what exactly did Hawaiian chiefs do to his heart?
1- Captain James Cook early life and birth
Yorkshire claims the honour of being the Captain James Cook birthplace, specifically the rural village of Marton, where he was born in 1728. Cook acquired a taste for maritime life during a spell working for a shopkeeper in the fishing port of Staithes, near Whitby. By the age of 18, James Cook was apprenticed to a company of coal shippers who took coal from Tyne all the way down to London by sea.
2- Captain Cook explorer and scholar
Captain James Cook was keen on his studies of maths and astronomy, which helped him climb the ranks quickly and become a skilled navigator. It also helped inform Captain James Cook’s voyages for the Royal Society to the Pacific Ocean later on in his life. By 24 years old, Cook had passed his exams to become a ship’s mate. This led to him being offered command of his first merchant ship, the Friendship, just three years later at the young age of 27.
3- Royal Navy calling
It was a huge surprise when he turned down the offer to command the Friendship in 1755. Instead, Captain James Cook joined the Royal Navy, enlisting as an able seaman, several ranks below what he had already achieved in his merchant career.. The Navy offered Cook the chance to sail on much further adventures, while showing his loyalty to king and country. He was given command of his own ship, HMS Pembroke, in 1758. During a voyage to Newfoundland, several crew members died of scurvy, leading Cook, to pay close attention to diet and disease prevention on his later travels.
4- Master of the maps
Captain Cook was a brilliant surveyor and cartographer. He learned quickly and used his skills to map Newfoundland. His work was so accurate that his charts and maps of the area continued to be used into the 20th Century. That meant his skills were benefitting seafarers of all kinds, well, over 200 years after he had completed the work. Not a bad legacy to claim!
5- Star quality
Cook was also an accomplished astronomer. When he was at sea, he saw a solar eclipse. He used his knowledge of the stars and sky to calculate the longitude of his location by measuring the passage of time during the eclipse. This was an extraordinary feat for his time. Making accurate calculations of longitude while at sea was much harder to do than when on land. Cook’s calculations were considered a huge step forward in maritime navigation.
6- Expedition number one (1768-1771)
The Royal Society asked Captain James Cook to lead a scientific expedition to the Pacific Ocean in 1768 in order to discover new lands and claim them for Great Britain. He sailed far enough to discover New Zealand and the south-eastern coast of Australia, claiming the continent for Britain in 1770 and calling it New South Wales. He returned with his crew to England in 1771.
7- Expedition number two (1772-1775)
Not one to stay home for long, Captain James Cook returned to the Pacific Ocean in 1772, once again at the behest of the Royal Society. This time, he explored from west to east in a bid to find another new continent to match New South Wales. Although he successfully crossed the Antarctic Circle, his expedition did not reach the content of Antarctica. However, he discovered and mapped many island groups on the way, including the group of 15 Polynesian islands, located near the coast of New Zealand, that were named ‘Cook Islands’ in his honour.
8- Third and final expedition (1776-1780)
This was to be Captain Cook’s last voyage, once again setting out for the Pacific Ocean from Plymouth and travelling via Tenerife, Cape Town and New Zealand. His mission was to search for the fabled Northwest passage located between the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans above North America. Sadly, he did not achieve this, but he did manage to visit Hawaii on the way there, becoming the first European to do so. Cook’s expedition went on from Hawaii to reach the Bering Strait and chart the west coast of America before treacherous icy conditions called a halt to the voyage.
9- A violent death (1779)
Captain Cook made the fatal decision to return to Hawaii on his way back from the Bering Strait. While he was there, a fight broke out between the indigenous Hawaiians and visiting Europeans. Cook was killed with a dagger at the age of 51 during an attempt to kidnap the island’s leader on St Valentine’s Day, 1779. Despite the hostility, Cook’s body was prepared using funeral rites reserved for island elders. His heart was eaten by the four most powerful chiefs as part of an honour ritual. The rest of his remains were returned, by British request, to Cook’s surviving crew members, who buried them at sea.
10- End of a legacy
Captain Cook married Wapping-born Elizabeth Batts in 1762 and had six children with her – five boys and one girl. Sadly, all their children died young, with Elizabeth outliving them all. Two boys died before their first birthday and the only girl, Elizabeth, died at four years old. Two other boys died in their teens and the final son, James, at 31 years old, without having children of his own. This means that Cook’s line ended with him and he and Elizabeth left no direct descendants.
Discover the Medallions:
1779 Captain Cook Memorial Historical Medallion by L Pingo Bronze
1779 Captain Cook Memorial Historical Medallion by L Pingo Silver