Ferdinand Magellan

Hello! My name is Ferdinand Magellan. I was born in Portugal around the year 1480. As a boy, my job was to be a page in the queen's court in Lisbon. It was a very exciting place to be because it was filled with maps and sailors telling stories about their travels to faraway lands. I loved listening to their tales of adventure, and I dreamed that one day I could be an explorer, too. More than anything, I wanted to discover a secret path across the ocean to the Spice Islands, where valuable spices like cloves and nutmeg grew.

When I grew older, my dream began to come true. In 1505, I went on my first sea voyage for the King of Portugal, sailing to places like India and Africa. During these long trips, I learned many important skills. I learned how to use the stars to navigate our ship, how to be a captain, and how to survive powerful storms at sea. I was even a soldier in some battles. But through it all, I kept thinking about my idea to reach the Spice Islands by sailing west from Europe. Everyone else sailed east around Africa, but I believed there was a secret passage through the giant landmass of South America. When I finally presented my plan to the King of Portugal, he told me no. I felt disappointed, but I was determined not to give up on my dream.

Since the king of my own country would not support my idea, I decided to try somewhere else. I moved to Spain in 1517 and asked to speak with their young king, Charles I. I unrolled my maps and explained my daring plan to him. I told him we could sail west, find the hidden passage through South America, cross the mysterious ocean on the other side, and arrive at the Spice Islands. King Charles was very impressed with my idea! In 1518, he agreed to help me. He gave me five ships and a crew to make the journey. My ships were named the Trinidad, the San Antonio, the Concepción, the Victoria, and the Santiago. We spent more than a year getting everything ready for our incredible adventure.

On September 20th, 1519, our fleet of five ships finally set sail from Spain with about 270 men. Our journey across the Atlantic Ocean was long and very difficult. We battled fierce storms, and our supplies of food started to run low. Some of my own captains even tried to lead a mutiny to take over the ships, but we were able to stop them. For months, we sailed along the coast of South America, always searching for the passage I was so certain was there. At last, in October of 1520, we discovered a winding channel of water. This was the path I had been searching for! Today, it is called the Strait of Magellan in my honor. When we sailed out of the strait, the ocean we entered was so calm that I named it the Pacific Ocean, because 'pacific' means 'peaceful'.

Crossing the Pacific Ocean was the most difficult part of our entire voyage. It was so much bigger than anyone had ever thought. For more than three months, we sailed without seeing a single piece of land. We ran out of fresh food and clean water, and many of my crew members became terribly sick. In March of 1521, we finally reached a group of islands that are now known as the Philippines. The people who lived there were kind to us at first, but I got involved in a local conflict between two of their leaders. On April 27th, 1521, I was killed during a battle. My great journey was over.

I lived to be about 41 years old. Although I did not complete the journey back home, my expedition was not a failure. A brave captain named Juan Sebastián Elcano took command of our last ship, the Victoria. On September 6th, 1522, he and 17 other survivors finally arrived back in Spain. They had completed the very first trip all the way around the globe. My voyage proved that the world was round and much larger than people had believed. I am remembered today as the explorer who organized and led the first expedition to circumnavigate our amazing planet.