The First Circumnavigation of the Earth (1519–1522)

Hello there. My name is Juan Sebastián Elcano, and I was a sailor on one of the greatest adventures you can imagine. It all started because our King, Charles I of Spain, wanted to find a new way to get to the Spice Islands, a place far, far away filled with wonderful treasures like cinnamon and cloves. Our Captain-General was a very brave man named Ferdinand Magellan. He believed we could get there by sailing west, something nobody had ever tried before. On September 20th, 1519, our five ships were ready. They were called the Trinidad, the San Antonio, the Concepción, the Victoria, and the Santiago. With more than 200 sailors, we waved goodbye to our families in Spain. We were so excited. The wind filled our sails, and our grand journey around the world began. We didn't know it then, but we were about to make history.

For weeks and weeks, all we could see was the big, blue Atlantic Ocean. It felt like we were the only people in the whole world. Some days were full of fun. We'd watch flying fish leap out of the water and see pods of dolphins racing our ships. "Look over there." I'd shout to my friends. After a long time, we finally saw land. It was a new continent called South America. Everything was different there. We met new people who were very curious about our big ships. We even saw animals we had never seen before, like funny birds that waddled on the ice, which we called penguins, and big, barking sea lions. But our real job was to find a way through this giant piece of land. It was very tricky. We sailed down the coast, looking for a secret passage. Finally, we found a windy, twisting channel of water. It was dangerous, but it was our only way through. Captain Magellan named it the Strait of All Saints, but today people call it the Strait of Magellan. When we came out on the other side, we saw another ocean, so big and calm that Magellan called it the 'Pacific,' which means peaceful. But this peaceful ocean was enormous. We sailed for months without seeing land, and soon our food and water ran low. It was a very hard time for all of us.

After many long months on the Pacific Ocean, we finally reached a group of beautiful islands. We were so happy to see land and find fresh food. But this place was also where we faced great sadness. Our brave leader, Ferdinand Magellan, got into a fight and did not survive. We were all very upset, and we missed him very much. Soon, only one of our five ships was left, the Victoria, and I was chosen to be its captain. I had a big choice to make. Should we go back the way we came, or should we keep sailing west and try to make it all the way home? My crew and I decided to keep going. We were determined to finish our journey. We sailed across another huge ocean and around the tip of Africa. Finally, on September 6th, 1522, we saw Spain again. We were so tired, but we had done it. Only 18 of us made it back on our little ship, but we were the first people to ever sail all the way around the world. We proved that the Earth was round, and it was much, much bigger than anyone ever knew.