Hawaiians Kill Captain Cook
Captain Cook, Big Island, Hawaii
An obelisk marks the spot when one of the 18th century's great navigators and cartographers was clubbed and stabbed to death. Captain James Cook was the first white tourist to visit what he named the Sandwich Islands (His boss was the Earl of Sandwich).
It was during a subsequent visit that Cook was killed. In fairness to the Hawaiians, Cook had been trying to kidnap their king on February 14, 1779, when he and his men were chased back to the beach. The Hawaiians genuinely respected Cook as an adversary, so after murdering him they roasted and hacked the flesh from his bones and, according to some accounts, ate it.