James Cook
James Cook (1728-79), British navigator and explorer. In 1768 he captained the endeavour on an expedition to the Pacific, during which he sailed round New Zealand and New Guinea and explored the east coast of Australia. In 1772 he sailed around Antarctica, discovering several Pacific Islands. One of the outstanding features of both voyages was the good health of the crew, whom Cook fed on a diet including fresh vegetables and fruit to prevent scurvy, a common disease amongst sailors at that time. On his third voyage, in which he hoped to find a passage joining the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, Cook was killed by Hawaiian islanders when he tried to recover a stolen boat.
