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CAPTAIN JAMES COOK
James Cook, perhaps the greatest of all English explorers,was born into a poor farming family in Yorkshire in 1728. When James was still young his father was made a farm manager and the family became a bit more properous. James had a little education before he started to work, first with a grocer and then with a ship owner. His second employer helped him to study further, but at the age of 26, James Cook made the biggest decision of his life - to join the British Navy.
Not many people are willing to go backwards in life but James Cook did. The ship owner had just offered him a chance to be in charge of a ship. Instead he became an ordinary sailor on low pay. Why? He loved the sea and he felt that because England was at war with France, he could become an officer quickly. His gamble paid off. On his first ship he met a captain who appreciated his abilities and helped him. Within a month he was promoted. In the next ten years he made many trips to North America. He became famous for his maps of the coast and rivers and was soon well known as an excelent leader and navigator.
When Cook was 40 years old, the British Navy chose him for an unusual job. He was given command of an ugly, flat-bottomed ship called the Endeavour. Both captain and ship were chosen for their experience and reliability. The Endeavour made one trip but James Cook completed three more trips before he was killed in Hawai.
Both captain and ship were chosen for their experience and reliability. The Endeavour made one trip but James Cook completed three more trips before he was killed in Hawai.
