Exploration
When did the first voyage around the world begin?
1519 AD
Five ships left Sanlúcar de Barrameda on 20 September 1519 AD under Ferdinand Magellan.
1 BC · 1 AD
Context
What happened?
About 270 men set out to reach the Spice Islands by sailing west. Magellan was killed at the Battle of Mactan in the Philippines in April 1521, and command eventually passed to Juan Sebastián Elcano, who brought the Victoria home on 6 September 1522 AD with eighteen of the original crew.
Significance
Why it matters
The voyage gave Europe its first practical measure of the planet and proved that its oceans connect. It also came at a severe human cost, and the contacts it opened reshaped the societies the expedition reached.
Further reading
Sources
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