Simplify the following text for a Grade 8 native English-speaking person.
Original: Captain James Cook FRS RN ( 7 November 1728 â `` 14 February 1779 ) was a British explorer , navigator and cartographer , ultimately rising to the rank of Captain in the Royal Navy .
Simplified: Captain James Cook , FRS ( 27 October 1728 ( O.S. ) â `` 14 February 1779 ) was an English explorer , navigator and cartographer .