Ferdinand Magellan

           Ferdinand Magellan was born at about 1470 in Portugal, and began to explore the Indies when he was a young man. After a disagreement (and mutual dislike) with King Manuel of Portugal, Magellan began to serve the Spanish King instead. Magellan began his voyage on September 20, 1519. The five ships he commanded crossed the Atlantic Ocean and got to South America where they followed the coast and finally landed on what is modern Rio de Janeiro. Once in Brazil, Magellan and his men decided to finally attempt to cross the Pacific Ocean; however, they did not succeed by the end of the summer. Magellan faced many problems when his shipmates landed in what is now Argentina. Mutiny broke out and his group was incredibly threatened. The situation did not improve too much for Magellan, he had underestimated the size of the Pacific Ocean and his men were forced to eat rats and sawdust located on the ship, about 19 died after that terrible disaster. After a lukewarm welcome in Guam, Magellan and his remaining men traveled to the Philippines, were he was killed by a rebel group. Despite his death, the remaining group of Magellan's men successfully made it around the world alive. Though one must consider that Ferdinand Magellan left with three ships but only one ship with eighteen men returned  home.

To learn from a primary source go to :  http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/mod/1519magellan.asp