British Capt. James Cook is credited with being the first European to discover Hawaii in 1787. On his discovery Captain Cook named the islands the Sandwich Islands in honor of the Earl of Sandwich.

Some historians believe that the Spaniards &emdash; who first crossed the Pacific Ocean in 1522, and regularly crossed from Peru to The Philippines by the late 1500s &emdash; may have landed in Hawaii, but never correctly mapped their accomplishment.

Captain Cook coming ashore on the Sandwich Islands. The visitors were warmly welcomed by the islanders who rowed out to meet them in their long canoes.

Captain James Cook The first European recorded to have landed in the Hawaiian Islands. He landed on Kauai in 1778.

When Cook arrived, he was well received and some Hawaiians thought he might even be an incarnation of their god Lono, whose sign was white kapa or tapa cloth like the sails of Captain Cook's ship.

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