1778day.year
James Cook is the first known European to discover the Hawaiian Islands, which he names the "Sandwich Islands".
British explorer James Cook became the first European to record the Hawaiian Islands, naming them the Sandwich Islands.
On January 18, 1778, Captain James Cook and his crew aboard the HMS Resolution sighted and landed on the islands now known as Hawaii. Cook charted the archipelago and named it the Sandwich Islands in honor of his patron, the Earl of Sandwich. His arrival marked the beginning of significant Western contact with the native Hawaiian population, introducing new trade goods and diseases. Cook’s detailed maps and journals spurred further exploration and, eventually, increased European and American influence in the Pacific. The encounter had lasting cultural and ecological impacts on the islands.
1778
James Cook
Hawaiian Islands