Episode 2 of 3
Killing of Captain Cook
- When
- 14 February 1779
- Where
- Kealakekua Bay, island of Hawaii
- Part of
- Death of Captain James Cook
Cook was killed on 14 February 1779 while attempting to kidnap Kalaniʻōpuʻu as hostage for a stolen cutter.
On 14 February 1779, Cook attempted to kidnap Kalaniʻōpuʻu, the ruling chief (aliʻi nui) of the island of Hawaii, intending to hold him hostage for the return of a stolen cutter. The dispute with Native Hawaiians turned violent, and Cook was killed. The worst deadly violence of the third voyage occurred in Hawaii.
Sources
- Death of James Cook Wikipedia, revision of 2026-09-12
- James Cook Wikipedia, revision of 2026-09-22
Machine-drafted from the cited Wikipedia passages and checked by a reviewing model, not by a human editor. Every passage cites the revision it was written from; dates and places follow those passages.