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He
thought this might link the Pacific and Atlantic across the top
of North America.
Cook
set sail with the Resolution and Discovery and landed on a group
of islands he called the Sandwich Islands (now known as Hawaii).
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Cook
headed as far north as the Bering Strait before ice forced him back.
He
returned to the Sandwich Islands in January 1779, and was killed
on February 14, during a skirmish with islanders over the theft
of a boat.
The
expedition continued under Captain Charles Clerke who also died.
The
ships returned home in August 1780.
Cook's
legacy
Cook's voyages laid the foundations for British colonisation of
New Zealand and Australia.
He
also finally laid the idea of a great southern continent to rest.
Cook's
mapping and scientific reporting added greatly to our knowledge
of the peoples, natural history and geography of the Pacific.
Ìý
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Born in Marton on October 27, 1728. Died February 14, 1779.
