Birth of James Cook
Birth of James Cook
Historical biography archive · Updated 2026-11-03
James Cook Biography and Timeline
Follow James Cook through 28 dated historical records for Great Britain.
James Cook, historical timeline
A chronological timeline drawn from matching World History Database records.
28Distinct records
1 of 1Page
1728–1779Years on this page
1728
1768
Captain
Appointed Commander of the HMS Endeavour in the south Pacific
1769
Transit of Venus Expedition
Cook's expedition observes the transit of Venus from Tahiti as part of an international effort to determine the astronomical unit.
Discovery of Australia
Makes a detailed survey of the east coast of Australia
Discovery of Botany Bay
Names Botany Bay
Discovery of New South Wales
Names New South Wales
Discovery of New Zealand
Sails around New Zealand
1772
Southern Voyage
Leaves Plymouth on HMS Resolution with HMS Adventure to search the far southern oceans during his second voyage
Discovery of Easter Island
Discovers Easter Island
Discovery of Marquesas
Discovers Marquesas
Discovery of New Caledonia
Discovers New Caledonia
Discovery of Norfolk Island
Discovers Norfolk Island
Discovery of Pacific Ocean
Sails with the Resolution & Adventure for a southern continent
Discovery of Tonga Islands
Discovers the Tonga Islands
1773
1st Antarctic Circle Crossing
1st person to cross the Antarctic circle
Discovery of Antarctica
First recorded crossing of the Antarctic Circle during Cook's second voyage
Discovery of Tonga Islands
Cook 1st visits Tonga
Southern Ocean Expedition
Continues probing the southern ice after crossing the Antarctic Circle, disproving many hopes for an easily habitable southern continent
1774
Farthest South
Reaches about 71 degrees 10 minutes south, farther south than any recorded navigator before him, but finds only ice and no temperate southern continent
1775
Discovery of South Georgia
Sights South Georgia and sails around it, mistakenly thinking it may be connected to Antarctica; names Cape Disappointment at the southern end of the island
1776
Death of James Cook
Returns to Hawaii from the North West Passage & killed in a scuffle with the Islanders
Discovery of Bering Straits
Maps the Bering Straits & attempts to look for the North West Passage
Discovery of Cook Islands
Visits the Cook Islands & Hawaii
Discovery of Hawaii
Visits the Cook Islands & Hawaii
North West Passage
Maps the Bering Straits & attempts to look for the North West Passage
1777
Discovery of Tonga Islands
Visits Tonga for a 2nd time. Impressed by the amiability of the people, names the islands the Friendly Islands
1778
Discovery of Hawaii
Discovers Hawaii, names them the Sandwich Islands after Lord Sandwich
1779
Death of James Cook
Stabbed to death by the natives of Kealakekua Bay in the Hawaiian Islands
Records, sources and methodology
These dates and descriptions come from the historical_events database. Exact duplicate records have been collapsed. Names are grouped by the country, Name 2 and Name 1 fields; records with missing Name 2 cannot be reliably assigned to an individual biography. Check the underlying sources before formal citation.