Ferdinand MagellanFerdinand Magellan was born in 1480 into a rich family in Portugal. When he was 12, he started work as a page for the Queen of Portugal. At school, he studied map-making, astronomy and navigation. He also loved sailing.

In 1519, Magellan set sail from Spain. He took five ships and 270 crew. During the journey across the Atlantic Ocean, there was a mutiny on three of his ships. Magellan managed to stop the mutiny before it was too late. Soon after, one of the ships was destroyed in a sudden storm.

In 1520, Magellan reached the tip of South America. Suddenly, one of the ships deserted and sailed back to Spain. There were only three ships left. Later that year, Magellan and his crew sailed safely into a vast new sea. He called it the Pacific Ocean.

In 1521, Magellan sailed across the Pacific Ocean to an island called Guam. They stayed only

a short time in Guam then sailed on to the Philippines. During this time, Magellan was involved in a local war. Magellan and 40 of his men died in the fighting.

In 1522, the survivors arrived home in Spain. Out of 270 crew, only 18 made it home.

Normally, people had to sail around Africa to get to the Spice Islands (which are called Indonesia today). This was a long and dangerous journey. Magellan, however, thought that there was a shorter and safer route around South America. He went to visit the King of Spain who liked Magellan’s idea and agreed to pay for the voyage.

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Ferdinand MagellanFerdinand Magellan was born in 1480. He was from a rich noble family in northern Portugal. When he was 12, he started work as a page for the Queen of Portugal. At school, he studied cartography (map-making), astronomy and navigation. He also loved sailing.

In 1519, Magellan set sail from Spain with five ships and 270 crew. During the journey across the Atlantic Ocean, there was a mutiny on three of his ships. Soon after, disaster struck when one of the ships was destroyed in a sudden storm.

In 1520, Magellan reached the southern tip of South America. Without warning, one of the ships deserted and sailed back to Spain. Later that year, Magellan and his crew sailed safely into a vast new sea. He called it the Pacific Ocean.

In 1521, Magellan sailed across the Pacific Ocean to Guam. The journey took a long time and his crew starved. They did not stop for long and soon sailed on to the Philippines. There, Magellan was involved in a local war. Magellan and 40 of his men died in the fighting.

Eventually, in 1522, the crew returned to Spain. They became the first people to sail around the world. By doing so, they completed Magellan’s expedition and the first circumnavigation of the planet.

In Magellan’s time, spices, such as cloves, nutmeg and cinnamon, were in demand throughout Europe. These spices could only be found in faraway places like India and the Spice Islands (Indonesia). To reach India and the Spice Islands, people normally had to sail around Africa into the Indian Ocean. This was a long and dangerous journey via the Cape of Good Hope. Magellan, however, thought that there was a shorter and safer route around the southern tip of South America. He visited the King of Spain, who liked Magellan’s idea and agreed to fund his voyage.

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Ferdinand MagellanFerdinand Magellan was born in 1480. He was from a wealthy noble family in northern Portugal. At the age of 12, he began work as a page to the Queen of Portugal. At school, he studied cartography (map-making), astronomy and navigation. These studies, along with his early passion for sailing, would serve him well in the future.

In 1519, Magellan set sail from Spain. He took five ships and 270 crew. During the journey across the Atlantic Ocean, there was a mutiny on three of the ships. Magellan managed to quell the uprising and executed the leaders. However, he forgave many mutineers because he needed their skills. Soon after, disaster

struck again when one of the ships was destroyed in a sudden storm.

By 1520, Magellan had reached the southern tip of South America. During the careful exploration of this new sea passage, another ship deserted and sailed back to Spain. Now there were only three ships left. Nevertheless, later that year, Magellan and his crew successfully sailed into a vast new sea.

He called it the Pacific Ocean.

In Europe at the time, there was great demand for spices, such as cloves, cinnamon and nutmeg from places like India and the Spice Islands (modern-day Indonesia). In turn, Portugal and Spain made a fortune through trading these goods in Europe. Magellan was convinced that there was a safer route around the Americas to these rich markets. This route would avoid the dangerous seas and pirates that could be encountered on the normal route around Africa. Magellan suggested his plan to the King of Portugal but he angrily rejected the idea. In desperation, Magellan went to the King of Spain. Fortunately, he liked the plan and this king agreed to fund the voyage.

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In 1521, after a long journey, wracked by starvation and an outbreak of scurvy, across the Pacific Ocean, Magellan reached Guam. Soon after, they continued on to the island of Cebu in the Philippines. However, while he was there, Magellan became involved in a local war and he was killed in the fighting. After he died, the crew decided to sail home to Spain.

At long last, in late 1522, the survivors arrived home. 18 sailors in total returned to Spain. Nevertheless, they had completed the expedition and became the first people to circumnavigate the globe.

Ferdinand Magellan

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