Magellan's Circumnavigation: Sailing Around the World
A Spanish expedition set out to circle the globe and proved, at terrible cost, that the Earth was one connected ocean.
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Ferdinand Magellan, sailing for Spain, led a fleet westward to reach the Spice Islands by a new route, passing through the strait at the tip of South America.
He crossed the immense Pacific far larger than anyone imagined but was killed in the Philippines. His deputy Juan Sebastian Elcano completed the voyage.
One ship, the Victoria, returned to Spain in 1522, the first to circle the globe.
"The captain died halfway, but his ships sailed on. Eighteen of two hundred and thirty men returned to prove the world was round and one."
The first circumnavigation confirmed the Earth's true scale, revealed the vast Pacific, and established the global connectedness of the oceans. It completed the geographic picture that launched the modern world system.
The Full Story
The Strait and the Sea
Magellan found a passage between the Atlantic and a peaceful ocean he named Pacific then faced months of starvation crossing its endless width.
A Captain's Death
Magellan perished in a local conflict in the Philippines, never seeing the journey's end he had made possible.
One Ship Returns
Of five ships and over 230 men, only the Victoria and 18 survivors came home bearing proof that the world could be circled by sea.