Storiascopio · Era 9 of 12 · lower secondary year 2
The first voyage round the world
1522 · Sanlúcar de Barrameda, Spain (departure and return)
In short
In 1519 five ships left Spain under the command of the Portuguese Ferdinand Magellan, to reach the Spice Islands by sailing west. The expedition found the passage south of America, now the Strait of Magellan, and crossed the immense Pacific Ocean. Magellan died in the Philippines and the Basque Juan Sebastián Elcano led the way home. In September 1522 only the ship Victoria returned to Spain, with 18 men, among them Antonio Pigafetta from Vicenza, who kept a diary of the voyage.
Why it matters It proved with a real voyage that you can go all the way round the Earth by sea and that it is much bigger than people had thought.
Source: Treccani, entry “Magellano, Ferdinando”
Where we are in the era “Early modern age”
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about 1420Event 13 of 251687
Your turn
Name ______________________ Class ______ Date __________
When did it happen? Find the date at the top and write it here:
Tell it in your own words: what happened?
Draw the scene below.
storiascopio.com/en/event/the-first-voyage-round-the-world/ · free worksheet, you may photocopy it for your class