Editing James Cook (section)

{{Short description|British explorer and naval officer (1728–1779)}}
{{Redirect|Captain Cook|other uses|Captain Cook (disambiguation)|and|James Cook (disambiguation)}}
{{pp-semi-indef|small=yes}}
{{Use British English|date=July 2022}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2025}}
{{Infobox person
| name = James Cook
| honorific_suffix = {{postnominals|FRS|country=GBR|size=100%}}
| image = Captainjamescookportrait.jpg
| caption = ''[[Portrait of James Cook]]''<br> by [[Nathaniel Dance-Holland]], {{circa|1775}}
| birth_date = {{birth date|df=y|1728|11|7}}{{efn|name=ns}}
| birth_place = [[Marton, Middlesbrough|Marton]], [[Yorkshire]], England
| death_date = {{death date and age|df=y|1779|2|14|1728|11|7}}
| death_place = [[Kealakekua Bay]], Hawaii
| death_cause = 
| education = Postgate School, [[Great Ayton]]
| occupation = Explorer, cartographer and naval officer
| spouse = {{marriage|[[Elizabeth Batts Cook|Elizabeth Batts]]|21 December 1762}}
| children = 6
| signature = James Cook Signature.svg
| module = {{Infobox military person
| embed = yes
| branch_label = Branch
| branch = [[Royal Navy]]
| serviceyears_label = Service&nbsp;years
| serviceyears = 1755–1779
| rank = [[Captain (Royal Navy)|Captain]]
| battles = {{tree list}}
* [[Seven Years' War]]
** [[Conquest of New France]]
{{tree list/end}}
}}
}}

[[Captain (Royal Navy)|Captain]] '''James Cook''' (7 November 1728{{efn|name=ns}} – 14 February 1779) was a British [[Royal Navy]] officer, explorer, and cartographer known for his three voyages of exploration to the Pacific and Southern Oceans, conducted between 1768 and 1779. He completed the first recorded circumnavigation of the main islands of New Zealand and was the first known European to visit the eastern coastline of Australia and the Hawaiian Islands.

Cook joined the British merchant navy as a teenager before enlisting in the Royal Navy in 1755. He served during the [[Seven Years' War]], and subsequently surveyed and mapped much of the entrance to the [[St. Lawrence River]] during the [[Battle of the Plains of Abraham|siege of Quebec]]. In the 1760s, he mapped the coastline of [[Newfoundland (island)|Newfoundland]] and made important astronomical observations which brought him to the attention of the [[Admiralty (United Kingdom)|Admiralty]] and the [[Royal Society]]. This acclaim came at an important moment in British overseas exploration, and it led to his commission in 1768 as commander of {{ship|HMS|Endeavour}} for the [[First voyage of James Cook|first of three Pacific voyages]].

During these voyages, he sailed thousands of miles across largely uncharted areas of the globe. He mapped coastlines, islands and features across the Pacific from Hawaii to Australia in greater detail than previously charted. He made contact with numerous indigenous peoples, and he claimed many territories for Britain. He displayed a combination of seamanship, superior surveying and cartographic skills, physical courage, and an ability to lead men in adverse conditions.

In 1779, during his second visit to Hawaii, Cook [[Death of James Cook|was killed]] when a dispute with indigenous Hawaiians turned violent. He left a legacy of scientific and geographical knowledge that influenced his successors well into the 20th century. Numerous memorials have been dedicated to him worldwide. However, he remains a controversial figure due to his occasionally violent encounters with indigenous peoples, and there is ongoing debate regarding his role in facilitating [[British Empire|British colonialism]].