1779
Cook Killed at Kealakekua Bay
A stolen cutter led to a dispute on the beach. Cook fired at the crowd; Hawaiians stabbed and clubbed him in the surf. His officers saw him fall face-down in the shallows. The Hawaiians took his body for ceremonial treatment - it came back in pieces, and his crew sailed home with what they could retrieve.
Crompton Invents the Spinning Mule
Samuel Crompton, working in Bolton by night to keep the design secret, combined Arkwright's water frame with Hargreaves's jenny to make a machine that spun yarn both fine and strong. It needed neither the river's pull nor the cottage's patience. Britain's cotton mills now had the tool that would beat Indian muslin.
Spain Enters the American War
Charles III declared war on Britain, hoping to recover Gibraltar and Florida. Spanish forces in Louisiana, under the young governor Bernardo de Galvez, would sweep British posts from Baton Rouge to Pensacola. The Great Siege of Gibraltar, Europe's longest, would go on for three and a half more years. Spain's contribution to American independence, often overlooked, was critical in stretching British resources across multiple theaters.
Hawaiian Priests Return Cook's Bones
In the days after the killing, the Hawaiians - honoring a fallen chief by ancient custom - distributed Cook's body among the ariki. Eventually they returned portions to his officers for sea burial. Charles Clerke took command and wept over the package. The Resolution and Discovery eventually reached home. Cook never did.