James Cook killed at Kealakekua Bay

Feb. 14, 1779

James Cook killed at Kealakekua Bay The dagger purportedly used to stab Cook, on display at the Royal British Columbia Museum in Victoria, Canada
On this day in 1779, James Cook was killed by Kanakas as he attempted to kidnap Kalaniʻōpuʻu, an aliʻi nui of the island of Hawaii. James Cook was the first known European to visit the Hawaiian Islands on his previous journey. It is impossible to measure the harm prevented by this death. James Cook was a British Naval Officer and explorer at a critical time in the massive expansion of the British Empire. He was killed at Kealakekua Bay