Cook made three voyages of exploration in the Pacific Ocean in the mid-late 1700s. He made “first (European) contact” with many Pacific populations including the Maoris of New Zealand, the Tahitians, the Samoans, and the Hawaiians, who thought he was a God. He was the foremost navigator of his time and a first-rate anthropologist as well, as evidenced by numerous entries and pertinent data in his logs and journals. He also searched (unsuccessfully) for a Pacific entrance to the long sought-after northwest passage. He was killed and dismembered in Hawaii while attempting to pacify a native uprising. (Limit 35)