Ferdinand Magellan
Florida TodayFerdinand Magellan.
Although Ferdinand Magellan never set out to complete this accomplishment, Magellan’s voyage to the East wound up being the first successful circumnavigation of the globe.
Magellan was born in Sabrosa, Portugal, in 1480. His adventurous spirit had been with him since childhood when he and his brother traveled to Lisbon at just 12-years-old.
From 1505 to 1519, Magellan led several expeditions and was injured in various battles. He was valiant, though, and continued his adventurous exploits.
In 1519, Magellan led a fleet of five ships westward out to sea in order to find the so-called spice islands. He crossed the Atlantic Ocean and reached South America just over a month after setting sail.
There he was able to cross through a treacherous strait that was dubbed the Strait of Magellan, that allowed him to reach the other side of South America. The strait lies in the southmost point of South America, which is now modern-day Chile.
PicrylFerdinand Magellan.
Before Magellan discovered his strait, the Atlantic Ocean was the only ocean that was known to exist. It was referred to as Ocean Sea, but as the world would soon discover, it was not the only ocean in existence.
Magellan spent more than a month traveling through the strait before reaching its end. Although he and his crew expected to see land from afar on the other side, to Magellan’s surprise he found another vast ocean before him. The only thing to do was to cross it.
Magellan and his crew eventually reached the Philippines, but they were not welcomed with open arms. On the island of Cebu, Magellan would up befriending the locals, who he asked to assist them when the neighboring island of Mactan attacked their fleet.
The famous explorer Magellan, unfortunately, was shot during a battle with the people of Mactan, and he died on April 27, 1521.
Although he’d never reach the spice islands, Magellan’s courageous journey would become instrumental in understanding what the globe looked like.
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