Captain James Cook: Biography and Major Achievements
Places and things named in honor of Captain Cook
Facts about Captain Cook | Many institutes, not just in Britain but around the world, are named after Captain Cook. Even to this day, many businesses in Hawaii carry Captain Cook’s name.
The Space Shuttle Endeavour was named in honor of Captain Cook and his HMS Endeavour. Similarly the Space Shuttle Discovery was named in honor of HMS Discovery, the consort ship that accompanied Captain Cook and his HMS Resolution.
Some other places that were named after English Captain James Cook include:
- Cook Islands in the South Pacific Ocean,
- Cook Strait,
- Cook Inlet,
- Cook crater on the Moon,
- Mount Cook/ Aoraki which is the highest summit in New Zealand,
- and Mount Cook found on the border between the US state of Alaska and the Canadian Yukon territory.
Captain James Cook Death
Captain James Cook was struck on the head and later stabbed to death by Hawaii villagers on February 14, 1779. | Image: The Death of Captain James Cook, 1794, Johan Zoffany
During his third voyage (1776-1779), his vessel, the HMS Resolution, suffered damage to its foremast mast. In February, 1779, Cook and his crew had to return to Kealakekua Bay, Hawaii, for repairs. While the repair was ongoing, tensions ensued between the inhabitants and the Europeans.
As the large crowd got more irritated, one of the Hawaiian chiefs took a club out and hit Captain Cook on the head. Captain Cook was then stabbed to death by one of the villagers. Cook’s body was disemboweled and then baked in order to remove the flesh. His bones were cleaned and preserved.
Some of the Captain’s remains were returned to his crew, who conducted a formal burial at sea. The site of his death was marked in 1874 with a white obelisk.
