Magellan Expedition Finished Without Magellan

In 1519, Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan led a five-ship Spanish expedition of about 270 sailors westward to reach the Spice Islands, but he never completed its circumnavigation of the globe. On April 27, 1521, Lapulapu and his warriors killed Magellan during the Battle of Mactan in the Philippines. Spanish navigator Juan Sebastian Elcano eventually took command of the ship and continued west across the Indian Ocean and around Africa. When the ship returned to Spain on September 6, 1522, only 18 or 19 of the original sailors remained to complete history's first recorded circumnavigation.

Previous Fact Next Fact