1728-1779. English naval explorer. After
surveying the St Lawrence 1759, he made three
voyages: 1769-71 to Tahiti, New Zealand, and
Australia; 1772-75 to the South Pacific; and
1776-79 to the South and North Pacific,
attempting to find the Northwest Passage and
charting the Siberian coast. He was killed in
Hawaii. In 1768 Cook was given command of an
expedition to the South Pacific to witness
Venus eclipsing the sun. He sailed in the
Endeavour with Joseph Banks and other
scientists, reaching Tahiti Apr 1769. He then
sailed around New Zealand and made a detailed
survey of the E coast of Australia, naming
New South Wales and Botany Bay. He returned
to England 12 June 1771. Now a commander,
Cook set out 1772 with the Resolution and
Adventure to search for the Southern
Continent. The location of Easter Island was
determined, and the Marquesas and Tonga
Islands plotted. He also went to New
Caledonia and Norfolk Island. Cook returned
25 July 1775, having sailed 60,000 mi in
three years. On 25 June 1776, he began his
third and last voyage with the Resolution and
Discovery. On the way to New Zealand, he
visited several of the Cook or Hervey Islands
and revisited the Hawaiian or Sandwich
Islands.