Fun Facts About Ferdinand Magellan
- Ferdinand Magellan did not finish the first circumnavigation: he was killed in battle in the Philippines in 1521, and only 18 survivors returned aboard the Victoria in 1522.[1]
- Magellan gave the Pacific Ocean its name, renaming the Mar del Sur the Mar Pacifico.[1]
- Magellan had earlier sailed east to the Malay Archipelago, so by reaching the area again going west he made a nearly complete personal circumnavigation, the first in history.[1]
- Magellan was Portuguese but sailed for Spain after King Manuel I of Portugal repeatedly rejected his plan. The insulted king may even have requested his assassination.[1]
- Magellan walked with a permanent limp from a leg wound he suffered fighting in Morocco in 1513.[1]
- The Magellanic Clouds, two dwarf galaxies visible from the Southern Hemisphere, are named after Magellan.[1]
- Ferdinand Magellan was alive at the same time as Leonardo da Vinci — their lives overlapped for about 39 years (c. 1480–1519).[1][2][3][4]
- Ferdinand Magellan lived to about 41, from c. 1480 until 1521.[1][2]
Ferdinand Magellan was a Portuguese explorer best known for planning and leading the 1519–22 Spanish expedition to the East Indies. During this expedition, he discovered the Strait of Magellan, performed the first European crossing of the Pacific Ocean, and made the first known European contact with the Philippines. Magellan himself was killed in battle in the Philippines in 1521, but his crew, commanded by Spanish navigator Juan Sebastián Elcano, completed the return trip to Spain in 1522, achieving the first circumnavigation of Earth in history.[1]
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Questions About Ferdinand Magellan
When was Ferdinand Magellan born?
Ferdinand Magellan was born about 1480 and died in 1521.
How old was Ferdinand Magellan at death?
Ferdinand Magellan died in 1521 at about 41 years old (c. 1480–1521).
What was Ferdinand Magellan known for?
Ferdinand Magellan was known for: Led the first expedition to sail around the world. Ferdinand Magellan was a Portuguese explorer best known for planning and leading the 1519–22 Spanish expedition to the East Indies. During this expedition, he discovered the Strait of Magellan, performed the first European crossing of the Pacific Ocean, and made the first known European contact with the Philippines. Magellan himself was killed in battle in the Philippines in 1521, but his crew, commanded by Spanish navigator Juan Sebastián Elcano, completed the return trip to Spain in 1522, achieving the first circumnavigation of Earth in history.
Who was alive at the same time as Ferdinand Magellan?
Ferdinand Magellan's closest contemporary was Niccolò Machiavelli. Their lives overlapped for 41 years.
Sources
- Ferdinand Magellan — Wikipedia. Text available under CC BY-SA 4.0
- Ferdinand Magellan (Q1496) — Wikidata
- Leonardo da Vinci — Wikipedia
- Leonardo da Vinci (Q762) — Wikidata
- Portrait: Retrato de Hernando de Magallanes.jpg — Wikimedia Commons. Alamy, Public domain