These are perhaps the most notable dates in James Cook's life.
- 1728: Born at Marton (near modern Middlesbrough), Yorkshire, Britain.
- 1736: Family moves a few miles to Great Ayton, Yorkshire. He attends the village school.
- 1744: He moves several miles to the coastal village of Staithes and is apprenticed to a shop keeper.
- 1746: He moves south to Whitby, where he works for Captain John Walker on his ships.
- 1755: Joins the Royal Navy as an ordinary seaman
- 1759: Takes part in surveying the St. Lawrence River in Canada
- 1760-67: Surveys the islands of Newfoundland, St. Pierre and Miquelon off the east coast of Canada
- 1768-71: First Voyage round the world in the ship Endeavour
- 1772-75: Second Voyage round the world in the ships Resolution and Adventure
- 1776-80: Third Voyage round the world in the ships Resolution and Discovery, completed without him
- 1779: Killed at Hawaii
The detailed chronology below was compiled by the late Paul Capper. The first part was published in Cook's Log in 1985, and the last part in 1996. It is the longest running article submitted by a member.
Paul died in July, 1995.
The individual sections can be viewed one by one, or the whole list downloaded as a 27-page PDF file by clicking here.