James Cook

Cook, James (1728–79), English navigator and explorer. He led 3 celebrated expeditions to the Pacific Ocean (1768–71, 1772–75, 1776–80), during which he charted the coast of New Zealand (1770), showed that if there were a great southern continent it could not be as large as was commonly supposed, and discovered the Sandwich Islands (1776). He died in an attack by native Hawaiians.

See also: New Zealand.