Ferdinand Magellan

Ferdinand Magellan was a famous Portugese explorer. In 1519 he left Spain with a fleet of five ships. During the journey that followed, many sailors died and four of the five ships were lost. Magellan and his sailors arrived in the Philippines in 1521. He saw that a large part of his mission was to convert the natives to Roman Catholicism. It was during this time that Magellan was killed. He was attempting to convert a tribal chief to Catholicism when the chief became angry. He ordered his men to attack Magellan and his sailors. Many of the sailors escaped, but Magellan was speared in the foot. Unable to escape, he was set upon and killed.

Magellan, himself, died before the only remaining ship retumed. But his leadership had shown it was possible to sail around the world. And, he had been the first to sail into the Pacific Ocean. Stories of Magellan's journey inspired many other sailors to explore the seas including the Pacific Ocean.