desperate to find a new path to Asia, and he took the chance of backing Magellan’s
daring scheme.
Now all Ferdinand Magellan had to do was sail across the two biggest oceans on Earth,
through uncharted waters, to the other side of the world!
Magellan set out with high hopes. But shipwrecks, mutiny, disease, attacks by native
tribes, powerful storms, and other disasters plagued him all along the way. Finally, after
weeks of hitting dead ends as he attempted to round the tip of South America, Ferdinand
Magellan found a way through and sailed his battered fleet to success.
Much later, Magellan got caught up in a civil war in the Philippines and was killed in
battle. His deputy decided to press on, through Asian waters, around Africa, and back to
Spain. The sailors who survived became the first people to sail around the world!
Only eighteen sailors and one leaky boat from the fleet of 250 men and five ships made it
home. But, they proved Ferdinand Magellan had been right. Today, the route around
South America is called the Strait of Magellan after one of the bravest, most determined
explorers in history.
~ ~ ~