Ferdinand Magellan was a Portuguese explorer who was the first to circumnavigate the globe. There is no exact date, but Magellan is believed to have been born in the spring of 1480. Very little is known about Magellan’s childhood except that his parents died when he was 10 and since they were of royal nobility, Magellan was a messenger to Queen Lenor. Magellan’s family consisted of a mother, father, brother and sister. Magellan’s first voyage was at the age of 25.
Magellan is most known for being the first man to circumnavigate the globe. Magellan and his 270 crew members sailed westward from Seville in Spain, around the horn, through the Strait of Magellan in South America, and across the Pacific Ocean, to Asia. Magellan was killed in the Battle of Mactan in the Philippines and only 18 of the original 270 crew members returned safely to Spain.
Magellan’s voyage proved the Earth was, in fact, round. The voyage consisted of five ships and 270 men. The five ships were: the Santiago, the San Antonio, the Conception, the Trinidad, and the Victoria. Many of Magellan’s crew suffered from scurvy, a disease caused by poor diet and lack of vitamin-C. The crew had to eat rats found upon the ship because food was so scarce. Only 3 of the ships returned to Spain with the 18 crew members that survived.
Magellan’s journey was a tough one. Food was so scarce on his ships that his crew was forced to eat boiled leather, sawdust, and rats to survive. When Magellan reached present day Rio De Janeiro and traded with the friendly natives and restocked on their food. Magellan then saw a Strait and the Pacific Ocean was straight ahead.
Magellan was the one who named the Pacific Ocean. Magellan named it for its calm waters. Magellan and his crew sailed through that ocean and landed in the Philippines. When Magellan and his crew of only 150 arrived at the Philippines, they had made history as being the first Europeans to reach these islands.
Magellan converted many of the...