Thursday, November 28, 2013

Today in 1520, Ferdiand Magellan became the first European navigator to sail from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean


Magellan was a Portuguese Navigator working in the service of Charles V the king of Spain.


Ferdinand Magellan

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

When Spain finally realized that the new lands to the West were not the Indies, but rather a new continent, they still desperately needed to find a route that would take them to the Spice Islands (modern Maluku Islands of Indonesia) of Asia. Charles V hired Ferdinand Magellan to find such a route. The fleet of five ships was outfitted with supplies for two years and lasted from 1519 to 1522 and employed 270 sailors from eight European countries. Magellan foolishly agreed to help out a local chieftain by attacking his rival and was killed in the battle with a bamboo spear.

Only one ship (the Victoria) and 18 of the original 270 men made it all the way around the globe and back to Spain.

Ferdinand Magellan



(below) Magellan's Route




When


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