10 August 1519 – Magellan Sets Sail to Circumnavigate the Globe
The beginning of the journey that proved the Earth could be sailed around, even if it could not be conquered
The beginning of the journey that proved the Earth could be sailed around, even if it could not be conquered
When I was growing up, the idea of sailing around the world seemed like something out of an adventure novel. Oceans felt endless, maps were flat and neat, and the world seemed already explored. But on 10 August 1519, long before we could check wind speed on a phone or track our location by satellite, one man set sail from Spain with a plan that most people thought was madness.
Ferdinand Magellan, a Portuguese navigator sailing under the Spanish flag, set out with five ships to find a western sea route to the fabled Spice Islands. What he ended up doing was far more extraordinary. His expedition became the first to circumnavigate the Earth.
Although Magellan himself would not live to see the journey completed, the voyage changed the world forever.
The quest for the Spice Islands
In the early sixteenth century, spices were worth more than gold. Nutmeg, cloves, and cinnamon were not just for flavour — they were used in medicine, preservation, and perfume. The Spice Islands, located in modern-day Indonesia, were the source of these precious goods.
Portugal controlled the eastern sea route around Africa, so Spain sought an alternative. They believed there might be a way to reach the Indies by sailing west. Columbus had tried and failed, believing the Americas were Asia. Magellan believed he could go further and find a passage through to the other side.
On 10 August 1519, he left Seville with five ships and about 270 men. None of them truly understood what lay ahead.
The fleet and the journey begins
The fleet, known as the Armada de Molucca, consisted of the Trinidad, San Antonio, Concepción, Victoria, and Santiago. Magellan sailed as captain-general aboard his flagship, the Trinidad.
They sailed down the coast of South America, searching endlessly for a strait that would take them through the continent to the Pacific. Along the way, they faced mutinies, terrible storms, and dwindling supplies.
Eventually, they found it.
In October 1520, they entered what is now known as the Strait of Magellan at the southern tip of South America. It was treacherous and narrow, but it opened up into a vast ocean that had never been seen by Europeans before.
Magellan named it Mar Pacífico, or the Peaceful Sea. The name would prove misleading.
Across the unknown Pacific
Crossing the Pacific took longer than anyone imagined. The crew went months without proper food. They ate leather, rats, and sawdust. Many died from scurvy, a disease caused by lack of vitamin C. Others simply wasted away.
But they kept sailing.
Eventually, they reached the Philippines in March 1521. It was here that Magellan met his end. He became involved in a local conflict and was killed in battle on the island of Mactan.
His death was a turning point. Only one ship, the Victoria, and a handful of men continued the voyage westward under the command of Juan Sebastián Elcano.
On 6 September 1522, almost exactly three years after they had departed, the Victoria limped back into Seville. Of the original 270 men, only 18 returned.
But they had done it. They had sailed around the world.
Why it mattered
It is hard to overstate what this voyage meant at the time. Until then, many believed such a journey was impossible. The world was known in fragments. Oceans were filled with monsters in the imagination. Maps were decorated with guesswork and legend.
Magellan's expedition proved the Earth was round in a way that no debate could argue with. It showed that oceans were vast, that continents were connected, and that the world was much larger than many had realised.
But it also reminded everyone how fragile life was in the face of nature and distance. The cost was enormous. More than 90 percent of the crew had died. Entire ships had vanished.
The price of discovery was high.
The legacy of Magellan
Although he never made it home, Magellan’s name lives on in history. He is often credited as the first person to circumnavigate the globe, even though he did not complete the voyage himself. Still, it was his vision and leadership that made the journey possible.
The Magellanic Clouds, two small galaxies visible in the Southern Hemisphere, are named in his honour. So is the Strait of Magellan, and even NASA's Magellan spacecraft.
He has become a symbol of exploration, ambition, and persistence.
But his story is also one of empire. The Age of Exploration brought with it not only maps and trade routes, but also conquest, colonisation, and exploitation. The islands Magellan visited were later claimed by European powers. The people he met often suffered for centuries under foreign rule.
So his legacy, like so many from history, is both impressive and complicated.
Looking back from today
As someone born in 1981, it is hard to imagine a time when so much of the world was still unknown. The idea of leaving port not knowing what you would find or whether you would ever return seems unthinkable now.
But Magellan and his men did just that.
When I read about their journey, I do not just think of maps and ships. I think of the fear, the hunger, the sea that seemed to go on forever. I think of how each sunrise must have felt like both progress and punishment.
Their journey was not glamorous. It was not safe. But it was real.
And it changed everything.
Final thoughts
On 10 August 1519, five ships set sail from Seville under a sky full of hope and a sea full of danger. What followed was one of the most remarkable voyages in human history.
It proved that the world could be sailed. That distant places could be reached. That the Earth was connected in ways people had only dreamed about.
But it also taught us that discovery comes at a cost. That courage and consequence walk hand in hand. And that the stories we remember are often built on the backs of those who never made it home.
Magellan’s journey did not just circle the globe. It reshaped how we saw it.