Magellan Sails West: Quest to Circle the Globe
Ferdinand Magellan left Seville with five ships and 270 men on September 20, 1519, looking for a western route to the Spice Islands — a passage he was convinced existed and nobody had found. He'd defected from Portugal to serve Spain for this. By the time the lone surviving ship returned in 1522, Magellan was dead, killed in the Philippines, and only 18 of the original crew made it back. He never completed the circumnavigation. His fleet did it without him.
September 20, 1519
507 years ago
Key Figures & Places
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