Ferdinand Magellan

Ferdinand Magellan, a Portuguese explorer, was the first European to lead an expedition across the Pacific and the first to try to circumnavigate the Earth.

Magellan set sail on September 20, 1519, with a fleet of five small shops and a crew of 240 men, traveling westward toward the southern end of South America.

It took 13 months for them to reach the southernmost tip of South America. During that time, Magellan survived powerful storms and a mutiny.

In South America, he met tall natives, whom he called "patagons" (big feet). That is how Patagonia got its name.

The fleet entered a long, treacherous strait, which is now known as the Strait of Magellan, on October 15, 1520. Magellan's crew saw fires glowing in the mountains to the south and named the region Tierra del Fuego (land of fire).

On November 28, the fleet left the strait and Magellan and his crew found themselves in the Pacific.

The voyage through the Pacific was extremely difficult.

Violent winds blew the ships northwest for weeks.

The crewmen suffered from intense heat. Their provisions rotted away provisions. Some of the crew died of scurvy, their gums having swelled so much that they were unable to eat.

The fleet reached the Philippines in April 1521.

Magellan was friends with the Sultan of the island of Cebu and joined him in a raid on the Sultan's enemies on Mactan, a nearby island.

On April 27, 1521, Magellan was killed in battle.

Only one of the original five ships, the "Victoria", with 17 Europeans left on it, survived the entire journey and made it back to Portugal.