When was it proved that the Earth is round?
On 20th September 1519, a Portugese explorer, Ferdinand Magellan left San Lucar in Spain with five ships and 237 men. Unlike Columbus who travelled west in 1492. Magellan went south, along the little-explored African coast, before crossing the Atlantic. One ship sank. another turned back—but Magellan carried on until he reached the southern-most tip of south America, sailing through the Straits named after him and into the Pacific Ocean.
Facing tremendous sacrifices and hardships, Magellan landed in the Philippines.
Here, Magellan and many of his crew lost their lives as they were attacked by natives. But the journey continued. And in 1522, 18 men returned home, including the Italian Antonio Pigafetta, who wrote his “Report of the First Voyage Around the World”—the journey which had proved that the world was indeed round.
