He set out to prove the Earth was round. He proved it with his life.

Around the World: The First Circumnavigation

Magellan sails west with 270 men; 18 return three years later

Ferdinand Magellan's 1519 expedition achieved the first circumnavigation of the Earth, proving the planet's roundness — though Magellan himself was killed before completing the voyage.

On September 20, 1519, Ferdinand Magellan led a fleet of five ships and 270 men from Sanlúcar de Barrameda, Spain, on a voyage that would prove — if anyone survived — that the Earth was round and that all the world's oceans were connected.

Magellan was Portuguese by birth but sailed for Spain, seeking a western route to the Spice Islands (modern Indonesia). The voyage encountered mutinies, starvation, scurvy, and violent storms. In November 1520, Magellan navigated a treacherous strait at the tip of South America — now called the Strait of Magellan — and emerged into an ocean so calm he named it the Pacific.

Crossing the Pacific nearly destroyed the expedition. For 99 days, they saw no land. Crew members ate leather, sawdust, and rats. Nineteen men died of scurvy. When they finally reached the Philippines in March 1521, Magellan intervened in a local conflict and was killed in battle on the island of Mactan on April 27, 1521.

Magellan never completed the circumnavigation. Command passed through several captains. Only one ship, the Victoria, and 18 men (of the original 270) returned to Spain on September 6, 1522 — the first humans to sail around the world. Their cargo of spices w…

💡 When the survivors arrived home, they were confused to find they had 'lost' a day in their logs — not understanding they had traveled with the sun and gained a full day.