We owe our knowledge about the Earth's geography in large part to the explorers (i.e. Christopher Columbus, James Cook, and Amerigo Vespucci) who ventured into the seas in search of new lands, new merchandise, and new ideas.

Portuguese ship captain Ferdinand Magellan was also such a man; he commanded all his own expeditions, and he became the first explorer to sail around the world.

Magellen was interested in the path Christopher Columbus had taken on his voyages, and, after studying the maps of those routes for many years, he petitioned King Manuel in 1513 to allow him to sail to the Spice Islands, but this time he would travel the waters south of South America. He was convinced that the trip would be shorter than if he headed to the southern tip of Africa and then across the Pacific Ocean.

Manuel refused his request, but Magellan applied himself to astronomy and navigation for the better part of two years. In 1517, he took the information gleaned from his studies to Charles I of Spain, who agreed to fund his voyage.

In September 1519, with five ships and 241 men under his command, Magellan sailed across the Atlantic to what is now Rio de Janeiro; he then headed south to find the passage to the Pacific. He was unable to find that passage before the end of summer, so he chose to hold over in Puerto San Julian, Argentina. Luck was not with him, however - his ship was destroyed in a storm, and his crew mutinied before they had even settled in.

Determined to continue, Magellan managed to resume his voyage in the spring of 1520, but difficulties once again nearly overwhelmed him. The crew went for 98 days without seeing any land, they ran out of food, and they used up almost all their water. Nineteen men died before the ships reached Guam, and conflicts with the people there prevented them from resupplying fully. When they finally reached the Philippines in April 1521, Magellan himself was killed in battle on the island of Mactan.

Only one ship, with a meager 18 survivors, made it back to Spain in 1522, but the expedition must in one very important respect be considered a success - it paved the way for explorers, merchants, and settlers to sail the Pacific, traveling relatively quickly to new and far-off lands.