Today in History- January 18th COOK DISCOVERS HAWAII: January 18, 1778 On January 18, 1778, the English explorer Captain James Cook becomes the first European to discover the Hawaiian Islands when he sails past the island of Oahu. Two days later, he landed at Waimea on the island of Kauai and named the island group the Sandwich Islands, in honor of John Montague, who was the earl of Sandwich and one his patrons.In 1768, Cook, a surveyor in the Royal Navy, was commissioned a lieutenant in command of the H.M.S. Endeavor and led an expedition that took scientists to Tahiti to chart the course of the planet Venus. In 1771, he returned to England, having explored the coast of New Zealand and Australia and circumnavigated the globe. Beginning in 1772, he commanded a major mission to the South Pacific and during the next three years explored the Antarctic region, charted the New Hebrides, and discovered New Caledonia. In 1776, he sailed from England again as commander of the H.M.S. Resolution and Discovery and in 1778 made his first visit to the Hawaiian Islands.Cook and his crew were welcomed by the Hawaiians, who were fascinated by the Europeans' ships and their use of iron. Cook provisioned his ships by trading the metal, and his sailors traded iron nails for sex. The ships then made a brief stop at Ni'ihau and headed north to look for the western end of a northwest passage from the North Atlantic to the Pacific. Almost one year later, Cook's two ships returned to the Hawaiian Islands and found a safe harbor in Hawaii's Kealakekua Bay.It is suspected that the Hawaiians attached religious significance to the first stay of the Europeans on their islands. In Cook's second visit, there was no question of this phenomenon. Kealakekua Bay was considered the sacred harbor of Lono, the fertility god of the Hawaiians, and at the time of Cook's arrival the locals were engaged in a festival dedicated to Lono. Cook and his compatriots were welcomed as gods and for the next month exploited the Hawaiians' good will. After one of the crewmembers died, exposing the Europeans as mere mortals, relations became strained. On February 4, 1779, the British ships sailed from Kealakekua Bay, but rough seas damaged the foremast of the Resolution, and after only a week at sea the expedition was forced to return to Hawaii.The Hawaiians greeted Cook and his men by hurling rocks; they then stole a small cutter vessel from the Discovery. Negotiations with King Kalaniopuu for the return of the cutter collapsed after a lesser Hawaiian chief was shot to death and a mob of Hawaiians descended on Cook's party. The captain and his men fired on the angry Hawaiians, but they were soon overwhelmed, and only a few managed to escape to the safety of the Resolution. Captain Cook himself was killed by the mob. A few days later, the Englishmen retaliated by firing their cannons and muskets at the shore, killing some 30 Hawaiians. The Resolution and Discovery eventually returned to England. ------------------------------------------------------------------ MORE GENERAL INTEREST 1912 Scott reaches the South Pole 1990 Barry arrested on drug charges historychannel.com/tdih/tdih.jsp?category=general&month=10272953&day=10272983 AMER. REVOLUTION 1776 Georgia’s royal governor is arrested historychannel.com/tdih/tdih.jsp?category=americanrevolution&month=10272953&day=10272983 AUTOMOTIVE 1919 Bentley Motors Founded historychannel.com/tdih/tdih.jsp?category=automotive&month=10272953&day=10272983 CIVIL WAR 1862 John Tyler dies historychannel.com/tdih/tdih.jsp?category=civil&month=10272953&day=10272983 COLD WAR 1985 United States walks out of World Court case historychannel.com/tdih/tdih.jsp?category=coldwar&month=10272953&day=10272983 CRIME 1788 First Australian Penal Colony Established historychannel.com/tdih/tdih.jsp?category=crime&month=10272953&day=10272983 ENTERTAINMENT 1991 Documentary filmmaker Leo Hurwitz dies historychannel.com/tdih/tdih.jsp?category=entertainment&month=10272953&day=10272983 LITERARY 1882 A.A. Milne is born historychannel.com/tdih/tdih.jsp?category=literary&month=10272953&day=10272983 OLD WEST 1803 Jefferson requests funds for Lewis and Clark historychannel.com/tdih/tdih.jsp?category=oldwest&month=10272953&day=10272983 PRESIDENTIAL 1803 Jefferson requests funding for Lewis and Clark expedition historychannel.com/tdih/tdih.jsp?category=presidential&month=10272953&day=10272983 VIETNAM WAR 1971 McGovern begins his presidential campaign historychannel.com/tdih/tdih.jsp?category=vietnamwar&month=10272953&day=10272983 WALL STREET 1978 "Take This Job" Hits #1 historychannel.com/tdih/tdih.jsp?category=wallstreet&month=10272953&day=10272983 WORLD WAR I 1919 Peace conference opens in Paris historychannel.com/tdih/tdih.jsp?category=worldwari&month=10272953&day=10272983 WORLD WAR II 1943 Germans resume deportations from Warsaw to Treblinka historychannel.com/tdih/tdih.jsp?category=worldwarii&month=10272953&day=10272983