James Cook: Quick Facts

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The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last updated

Oct. 23, 2026

Facts

Born	October 27, 1728 • England
Died	February 14, 1779 (aged 50) • Hawaii
Awards And Honors	Copley Medal (1776)

Did You Know?

NASAs space shuttles "Discovery" and Endeavour were named after Cooks ships.
Cook named the Sandwich Islands in honour of his patron, the Earl of Sandwich.
The map Cook drew of Newfoundland in the 1760s was so accurate that it was still being used in the 1900s.

Photos and Videos

Portrait of James Cook seated in a naval uniform, holding a map in his left hand and gazing to his right.

World map tracing the routes of James Cook's three Pacific voyages, with red, green, and purple lines showing the paths of the Endeavour (1768-71), Resolution (1772-75), and Resolution (1776-79) respectively. The routes cross the Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific Oceans, visiting regions including Australia, New Zealand, the Hawaiian Islands, Alaska, and the Antarctic Circle, with labeled stops and landfalls along the way.

James Cook: brass sextant

Painting of Captain James Cook and British sailors raising a flag and claiming New South Wales in 1770, with ships anchored offshore and soldiers standing in formation.

John Webber: View of Huahine

Portrait of James Cook seated and dressed in 18th-century naval uniform, holding a map and gazing to his left.

Experience a tour of the replica of HMS Endeavour with James Cook aboard the voyage

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