First Circumnavigation
Did
Magellan really circumnavigate the globe?
The
Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan is often credited as being the first
person to have circumnavigated the globe, but the reality of his journey is a
bit more complicated.
First off,
he didn't set out to circle the globe, but rather to find a safer way for
Spanish merchants to fabled Spice Islands. Magellan's expedition is the first
one to accomplish circumnavigation, but poor Ferdinand didn't make it home,
since he was killed by natives in the Philippines in 1521, about halfway home. But
since Ferdinand was the captain and leader of the expedition, he gets the
credit.
So if
Magellan wasn’t the first human to circumnavigate the globe, who was? This is
slightly up for debate. The honor may go to Magellan’s personal slave, Enrique
of Malacca, though it isn’t quite clear whether he made the last 1000 or so
miles necessary to actually officially complete the trip, or if he did, when he
did it.
Though
Magellan didn’t complete the journey and isn’t rightfully called “the first
person to circumnavigate the globe,” he was the first person to plan a
successful expedition. Before his death, he also contributed to the “Age of
Discovery” by finding a way to the Pacific Ocean from the west.
Debunked!
Sources:
P.S. - If you have any urban legend or superstition that you are doubtful of, just comment it and I will try to debunk that.
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