Captain James Cook (1728-1779)
James Cook an Englishman born in the Yorkshire village of Marton on October 27, 1728. Cook came from a poor family and was lucky to get a basic education. His father was a farmer, and at the age of 17 Cook moved to the coast, settling in Whitby and finding work with a coal merchant. Here is where he decided that a life at sea was what he wanted. When cook was 26, in 1755 Cook enlisted in the Royal Navy, serving in North America where he learnt to survey and chart coastal waters. By the time he was 19 he had been made commander of a warship. He was a British explorer, navigator and cartographer, ultimately rising to the rank of Captain in the Royal Navy. Cook was one of the few men to rise through the ranks from a seaman to a commander which made him more sympathetic to the needs of ordinary sailors. Although conditions on his ships were hard they were much better than many others.