Captain James Cook
At a glance:
- Series: Dictionary of World Biography: The 17th and 18th Centuries
- Categories: Science, Discovery, Exploration, Geography
- Subcategories: Colonialism, Colonies, Settlements, Empires, Dynasties, British Empire, Ships, Naval History, Explorers
- Curriculum: British History, 18th Century European History
Article abstract: With his inspired seamanship and his practical grasp of scientific method, Cook added greatly to world knowledge of geography and oceanography and laid the basis for British colonialism in the Pacific.
Early Life
James Cook was born on October 27, 1728, in the small village of Marton in the northern county of Yorkshire, England, but he spent most of his boyhood in the nearby village of Great Ayton. His father was a Scottish farm laborer who had married a Yorkshire woman. His father’s employer, spotting young Cook’s potential, paid...
[The entire page is 2713 words long]