James Cook
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James Cook was a British captain, navigator and explorer who lived from October 27. 1728 to February 14, 1779. He explored the seaways and coasts of Canada and made three expeditions to the Pacific Ocean. In August 1770 he laid claim to the east coast of New Holland (Australia) for Great Britain [1].
The first European to visit Australia was Willem Janszoon in 1606 [1], and it is likely that Chinese explorers landed before that; and the first European to visit New Zealand was Abel Tasman in 1642 [2].
The James Cook University in North Queensland, Australia was named in his honour [2].