Captain Cook Discovers Hawaii: The Islands' World Changes Forever
James Cook lands on the shores of Hawaii and claims the archipelago for Britain, renaming it the Sandwich Islands. This discovery shatters centuries of isolation for the islands, setting in motion a chain of foreign contact that eventually leads to the overthrow of the Hawaiian monarchy and their annexation by the United States.
January 18, 1778
248 years ago
Key Figures & Places
What Else Happened on January 18
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