Captain Cook: How the World's Greatest Explorer Went Mad | Hampton Sides | Ep. 041

In February 1779, the most famous explorer alive was hacked to death on a Hawaiian beach while his own men watched helplessly through field glasses from the ships. Weeks earlier, thousands of Hawaiians had greeted him as the god Lono — his arrival matched their prophecy down to the shape of his sails. So what happened? And why had the most rational, even-keeled commander in the Royal Navy spent his final voyage burning villages over a stolen goat? Hampton Sides — one of America's great narrative historians and author of The Wide Wide Sea — joins us to unravel Captain Cook's final voyage: the secret hunt for the Northwest Passage, a cannibalism cold case in New Zealand, and the leading medical theory for what actually went wrong inside Cook's head. This is Part 1 of two with Hampton — next week: In the Kingdom of Ice. LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE The Wide Wide Sea: https://www.amazon.com/Wide-Sea-Imperial-Ambition-Contact/dp/0385544766 Hampton's Website: https://hamptonsides.com The Captain Cook Society: https://www.captaincooksociety.com Copyright Outdoor Visions Media LLC, 2025 #podcast #captaincook #explorer #history #sailing