British Sea Captain James Cook, thought to be the first Westerner to set sight on the Hawaiian Islands, spotted the islands of Oahu and Kauai on Jan. 18, 1778. Two days later, he anchored in Waimea Bay off Kauai. Almost a year later on Jan. 17, 1779, the explorer found his way to the Big Island, where he would be killed at the hands of Hawaiians. He anchored his ships in the sheltered waters of Kealakekua Bay where the annual Makahiki Festival, which honors the fertility god Lono, was in progress. Thinking Cook might be Lono himself, the Hawaiians welcomed him with open arms and honored him with a great feast.

On Feb. 4, Cook left the Big Island only to return about a week later after a severe storm damaged one of his ships. This time the Hawaiians, who had discovered Cook was not a god, were hostile. A skirmish broke out and Cook with four of his sailors died near the village of Ka'awaloa. In 1874, Cook's fellow countrymen erected a 27-foot obelisk in his memory.