James Cook (October 27, 1728 – February 14, 1779) – British discoverer, sailor, explorer and navigator. He made three trips in the Pacific ocean and became the first European man, who explored its coasts. Cook developed the Hawaii and many other islands, furthermore he was first to sail round the Australian continent. Cook was also a cartographer. While seeking the north marine passage-way from the Pacific ocean to the Atlantic one he explored Alaska’s coasts.

James Cook was born in Yorkshire (England) in 1728 in a family of farmer. That’s why he did not get any high or normal education at all. In 1756 he went to serve on the English fleet. In 1768 he becomes a captain of a ship named “Indever”.

In the XVIII century many sailors died because of different illnesses like scurvy. That’s why Cook entered strict rules to reduce deceases. The rules of hygiene were always observed, and every ship had a big amount of fresh fruits, which contained the C-vitamin.

In 1768 Cook was sent by the geographical society to the banks of Tahiti to watch Venus from there. In Cook’s expedition there were also a naturalist, botanist and two artists. Apart from that, Cook got an order to find terra incognita. Discovering started on the third of June. Then Cook’s ships headed to New Zealand. The Maori aborigines greeted him hostilely. Thousands of canoes attacked him.

In April of 1770 Cook landed on the west coast of Australia. There he found many interesting species and met aborigines.

While sailing to the north, Cook’s ship crashed in Great Barrier Reef. James returned home in 1771. Then Cook made two another expeditions. In 1778 he discovered the Sandwich islands (Hawaii). Firstly the aborigines thought that Cook was Lopo God, but time passed, and they became frustrated by him. In a year Cook returned to Hawaii again, but the sailors were hardly disturbing aborigines. So, as a result, captain James Cook was killed.

He died on February 14, 1779. Cook’s body was buried in the waters of Pacific ocean.