British Captain James Cook arrived in the Hawaiian Islands on his third voyage to the Pacific. Commanding the Resolution and Discovery on a mission to explore a Northwest Passage and to plot the transit of Venus, Cook first sighted the islands of O’ahu, then Kaua’i and Ni’ihau on January 18, 1778. Greeted as a sacred high chief or a god, Cook responded to islanders’ hospitality by leaving Hawaiians three goats, two English pigs, and seeds to plant melons, pumpkins, and onions. After naming the Islands, the “Sandwich Islands,” after his patron, John Montagu, Fourth Earl of Sandwich, Cook left for northern waters to complete his mission. Returning in November to winter in the Islands, Cook and his ships tacked off the coasts of Maui and Hawai’i for eight weeks before anchoring for an extended stay at Kealakekua Bay. The official account of Cook’s voyage published in three volumes appeared in 1784. The popular official publication went through several editions, augmented by numerous pirated versions and translations.
For Further Information:
Endeavour Project: Journals of Captain Cook’s Pacific Voyage
coombs.anu.edu.au/~cookproj/home.html
UCLA’s collection of Captain Cook Facts and Artifacts (UCLA)
www.library.ucla.edu/libraries/special/scweb/cookmenu.htm
The Journals and Maps of Captain Cook’s Endeavour Voyage Online
www.jcu.edu.au/aff/history/southseas/journals/index.html
A Newspaper Article about the Western Discovery of Hawai`i (Star-Bulletin)
starbulletin.com/1999/05/05/millennium/storya7.html
A Description of Captain Cook’s Involvement in the Hawaiian Islands (National Park Service)
www.cr.nps.gov/history/online_books/kona/history2.htm
Sources
* Noteworthy
1803 – Thomas Jefferson, in secret communication with Congress, sought authorization for the first official exploration by the U.S. government.
1896 – The x-ray machine was exhibited for the first time.
1903 – A transmitter in Wellfleet, Massachusetts sends the first transatlantic radio transmission to originate in the United States.
1911 – Eugene B. Ely lands on the deck of the USS Pennsylvania stationed in San Francisco Bay, the first time an aircraft landed on a ship.
1957 – The first, non-stop, around-the-world, jet flight came to an end at Riverside, CA. The plane was refueled in mid-flight by huge aerial tankers.
1964 – The plans for the original World Trade Center in New York were unveiled to the public