FERDINAND MAGELLAN

Ferdinand Magellan was an explorer who was born in 1480 in Portugal and who died in 1521 in Philippines. He was the captain of the first ship that ever sailed all the way around the world.

Magellan grew up in a wealthy family. He worked as an attendant in the royal court as a young man. Sailing and exploring were his passions and he sailed for Portugal for many years.

Magellan had sailed to India by sailing around Africa, but he always suspected that there might be another shorter route to reach there. He planned to travel west and around the Americas. The King of Portugal did not agree with Magellan and he refused to fund the voyage. This caused Magellan to look for solutions, so he decided to go to King Charles V of Spain to persuade him to financially support his expedition. Luckily, the King of Spain agreed to help Magellan and his crew.

In September of 1519 Magellan set sail to make his dream of finding another route come true. There were more than 250 crew members and five vessels under his command. They first sailed south across the Atlantic and to the Canary Islands. From there they sailed south to Brazil and the coast of South America. Magellan continued to sail south and he finally found the passage he was looking for. Today it is called the Straits of Magellan. Finally, he got into the new ocean on the other side of the new world. He called it the Pacifico, which means peaceful.

Magellan thought it would only take a few days to cross the Pacific Ocean. He was wrong. It took nearly four months for the ships to make it to the Mariana Islands where they stocked up on supplies. Then they headed to the Philippines. Magellan got involved in a conflict between local tribes. He and about 50 of his crew were killed in a battle. Only one of the five ships turned back to Spain. It was called the Victoria. It returned in 1522, three years after the first leaving. Only 18 sailors survived, including the captain. They had made the first trip around the world.