The MeatEater Podcast Ep. 540: The Killing of Captain Cook
10 snips
Apr 8, 2024 
Author Hampton Sides discusses his new book on Captain James Cook's final voyage, exploring topics like avoiding scurvy, unique foods of explorers, historical encounters in Hawaii, and the challenges of early exploration and navigation.
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Cook's Genius in Cartography
- Captain Cook was a self-made man and a genius in navigation and cartography.
- His maps are astonishingly accurate given the period's technology.
Cook Defeated Scurvy
- Cook successfully prevented any deaths from scurvy by insisting on fresh hunted and foraged foods.
- He understood the connection between diet and scurvy before modern science fully explained it.
The Third Voyage's High Stakes
- Cook's third voyage aimed to find the Northwest Passage via the Pacific and map Alaska's coast.
- It coincided with worsening British colonial conflicts, increasing its political stakes.