Thomas Cook (November 22, 1808 - July 18, 1892), founder of the travel agency that bears his name, was born in the village of Melbourne in Derbyshire, England.

On 5 July 1841 he organised a rail excursion for 500 temperance campaigners from Leicester to the nearby town of Loughborough. Excursions to Liverpool (1845), Scotland (1846) and the Great Exhibition in London (1851) followed. In 1872 he organised a round-the-world tour, lasting 222 days.

Ownership

Ownership of his company, Thomas Cook and Son, remained with his family until 1928.

In 1999 the Carlson Leisure Group merged with Thomas Cook. In mid-2000 Preussag acquired Thomas Cook rival Thomson Travel and was forced to sell its 50% stake in Thomas Cook by regulatory authorities. In 2002 Thomas Cook was acquired by the German company C&N Touristic AG, which later changed its name to Thomas Cook AG. The group is jointly owned by Lufthansa and Karstadt.