Facts about Ferdinand Magellan

1. 17

   Magellan's fleet discovered the Philippines in March 1521, just weeks before his fatal confrontation at Mactan, fundamentally expanding European knowledge of the western Pacific islands.

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2. 16

   During his 1519 expedition, Magellan invested his own personal wealth to purchase supplies and equipment, demonstrating financial commitment unusual for explorers of that era.

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3. 15

   Magellan's fleet encountered and documented the giant penguins of Patagonia in 1520, with crew members recording these unfamiliar flightless birds in the expedition's official accounts.

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4. 14

   King Charles V of Spain granted Magellan two percent of all profits from his expedition in exchange for discovering a westward route to the Spice Islands.

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5. 13

   Before his voyage of discovery, Magellan spent years in Indian Ocean trade routes and military campaigns across Portuguese-controlled Asian territories between 1505 and 1513.

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6. 12

   Magellan's voyage cost approximately 6 million maravedís, a sum so enormous that Spain's royal treasury nearly bankrupted itself financing the 1519 expedition.

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7. 11

   Magellan's crew mutinied in 1520 near present-day Argentina, forcing him to execute one mutineer and maroon two others on the desolate coast before continuing westward.

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8. 10

   Magellan's fleet took 98 days to cross the Pacific Ocean in 1520-1521, a voyage so lengthy that crew members saw no land and consumed rats, leather, and sawdust to survive.

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9. 09

   Enrique of Malacca, a slave acquired by Magellan in 1511, became the first person to circumnavigate the globe when he returned to his birthplace during the 1519-1522 voyage.

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10. 08

    Approximately 240 crew members perished during Magellan's voyage, with scurvy and starvation claiming far more lives than combat or shipwreck.

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11. 07

    Magellan named the Pacific Ocean in 1521, calling it Mar Pacifico for its seemingly calm waters during his crossing.

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12. 06

    Over three years, Magellan's circumnavigation voyage traveled approximately 42,000 miles, making it history's first expedition to circle the entire globe.

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13. 05

    At age 25, Magellan received a severe leg wound during a Portuguese military campaign in Morocco that caused him to limp for the remainder of his life.

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14. 04

    The Strait of Magellan, separating mainland South America from Tierra del Fuego, was named after the explorer who first navigated it in 1520.

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15. 03

    Magellan's 1519 expedition departed Spain with five ships and 270 men, yet only one vessel carrying 18 survivors completed the circumnavigation in 1522.

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16. 02

    Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan sailed for Spain starting 1517, having previously served Portugal in Asian expeditions for eight years.

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17. 01

    In 1521, Ferdinand Magellan died in the Battle of Mactan in the Philippines at approximately age 41.

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