James cook, was chosen by the British government in 1769 to be the commander of the crew observing the rare occurrence of Venus passing in front of the sun, an event only visible from the south hemisphere.
Cook, not satisfied with his great voyage, he went on another voyage to seek for the southern continent, sailing near the coast of the Atlantic. He and the crew was forced to turn back because it was too cold. He and his crew returned to England in 1775.
Cook's final exploit was to uncover the mystery of the North-West Passage that was thought to join together Atlantic and Pacific waters. After that, not able find the non-existent route, Cook took his two ships south and searched the island of Hawaii. One day, Cook tried to take the local leader prisoner because one of his ship's boat was stolen. There was a big fight.
One of his parents was a Scottish farmhand. As a teenager, he worked with his father in farming, until a Quaker shipowner offered him an apprenticeship. He had lots of experience there, which helped him a lot in his future career.