Ferdinand Magellan By: Monique Westbrook

Facts Magellan lived from 1480-1521. Magellan was a Portuguese sea captain. He was born in Portugal. He worked for Spain. He founded Rio de Janerio. He also found a bay where he found cinnamon and peppers and etc.

Facts: Magellan named the Pacific Ocean. Pacific means peaceful. Magellan had served the Portuguese for many years, until the king changed. He then went to the Spanish king and the king instantly said yes. It was hard to serve the Spanish when he was Portuguese.

Facts: He led five Spanish ship and 265 men with 2 years of food in the first around-the-world expedition. He first went to sea in 1505. He was interested in the same route that Columbus took. He had trouble finding crewmembers because he was Portuguese. Juan de Cartangena made mutiny. Magellan then captured him and made him a prisoner.

Facts: In late March, Magellans team stayed in Argentina for the winter. They set sail again in October 18, 1520. Magellan was the first Portugal to ever sail the Pacific Ocean. They ran out of food and had to eat rats and saw dust in order to avoid starvation. They lived on the Philippians for awhile.

Facts: Magellan died on April 27, 1521 when he took part in a battle between rival groups of Filipino on the island of Mactan. They sailed the ship called “Victoria”, and another was the “Conception”, “Trindad”. Which they ended up abandoning because there were 110 original men. The Trindad was loaded up with spices and headed back, but they got caught in a bad storm. More than half died. Others were forced to go back to the Spice Islands, and then the Portuguese imprisoned them. The ship “Victoria” made it back in September 6, 1522 with more than their half of the crew dead because of starvation. 3 year after the voyage started they finally returned.

Christopher Columbus

Facts: He was born in Genoa, Italy. He barely went to school, but learned how to read and write. He taught himself Latin because most geography books were in Latin. He wanted to find a short way to the Indies by ship. He wanted to spread Christianity.

Facts: He tried for 8 years to get King Ferinand and Queen Isabella to supply him with money and ships. They finally agreed, but then he made more demands. He wanted to be made a knight, admiral of the Ocean Sea, power of all the lands he found & one tenth of what he found in values in his lands. He took 3 ships, the Santa Maria, Pinta, and the Nina and left for a year. When he got to Cuba, he thought he was in China.

Facts: On Christmas Eve, he wrecked the Santa Maria, and he made 40 workers go look for gold. He sailed back on the Nina, then the Pina returned. Spain welcomed him as a hero. He made 3 more voyages after this one. He discovered the New World. In the end, Christopher didn’t become as rich at he thought he would’ve. He died in his bed because of the pain of arthritis.