Captain James Cook was a British explorer who made three voyages to the Pacific Ocean between 1768 and 1779. Some key facts:
- He commanded the HMS Endeavour and was the first European to visit Hawaii, New Zealand, and parts of the east coast of Australia.
- On his first voyage, he aimed to observe the transit of Venus and search for the unknown southern continent.
- His second voyage sought to find the Northwest Passage between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.
- On his third voyage, Cook explored the Pacific Northwest coast of North America and was killed in a confrontation with Hawaiians in 1779.