Ask any student who first traveled around the world and hear: “Of course, Magellan.” And few people doubt these words. But Magellan organized this expedition, led it, but could not complete the voyage. So who is the first seafarer to travel around the world?
Magellan's Travel
In 1516, a little-known nobleman Fernan Magellan came to the Portuguese king Manuel I with the idea of implementing the Columbus plan - to reach the Spice Islands, as the Moluccas were then called, from the west. As you know, then Columbus was “prevented” by America, which turned out to be on its way, which he considered to be the islands of Southeast Asia.
At that time, the Portuguese were already sailing to the islands of the East Indies, but bypassing Africa and crossing the Indian Ocean. Therefore, they did not need a new path to these islands.
The story repeated: ridiculed by King Manuel, Magellan went already to the Spanish king and received his consent to organize an expedition.
On September 20, 1519, a flotilla of five ships left the Spanish port of San Lucar de Barrameda.
Satellites of Magellan
No one disputes the historical fact that the expedition led by Magellan made the first round-the-world trip. The vicissitudes of this dramatic expedition are known from the words of Pigafetta, who recorded all the days of the journey. Its participants were two captains who had already visited the islands of the East Indies more than once: Barbosa and Serrano.
And specifically on this campaign, Magellan took his slave - Malay Enrique. He was captured in Sumatra and has long served faithfully Magellan. On the expedition, he was assigned the role of a translator when the Spice Islands were reached.
Expedition
Having lost a lot of time crossing the
Atlantic Ocean and passing along the rocky narrow and long strait, which later received the name of Magellan, the travelers went to the new ocean. During this time, one of the ships sank, the other went back to Spain. A conspiracy against Magellan was uncovered. The equipment of the ships was in need of repair, and the supplies of food and drinking water were running out.
The ocean, called the Pacific, was first met by a good tailwind, but subsequently it became weaker and, finally, completely verse. People deprived of fresh food died not only from hunger, although they had to eat rats and skin from the masts. The main danger was scurvy - a thunderstorm for all sailors of that time.
And only on March 28, 1521 they reached the islands, whose inhabitants were amazed to answer questions from Enrique, who spoke his native language. This meant that Magellan with the satellites arrived on the islands of the East Indies from the other side. And it was Enrique, the very first traveler who traveled around the world! He returned to his homeland, circling the globe.
End of expedition
On April 21, 1521, Magellan was killed, intervening in the internecine war of local leaders. This had the worst consequences for his companions, who were forced to simply flee from the islands.
Many of the sailors were killed or injured. Of the 265 people in the team, only 150 remained, they were enough only to control two ships.
On the islands of Tidore, they were able to relax a bit, replenish food supplies, take on board spices and golden sand.
On the return trip to Spain went only the ship "Victoria" under the control of Sebastian del Cano. Only 18 people returned to the port of Lukar! These people are the first to travel around the world. True, their names have not been preserved. But Captain del Cano and the chronicler of the journey of Pigafetta are known not only to historians and geographers.
The first Russian round-the-world trip
The head of the first Russian round-the-world expedition was Ivan Fedorovich Kruzenshtern. This voyage took place in 1803-1806.
Two sailing ships - the "Hope" under the command of Kruzenshtern and the Neva, headed by his assistant Yuri Fedorovich Lisyansky - left Kronstadt on August 7, 1803. The main goal was to study the Pacific Ocean and especially the mouth of the Amur. It was necessary to identify convenient parking lots for the Russian Pacific Fleet and the best routes for supplying it.
The expedition was not only of great importance for the formation of the Pacific Fleet, but also made a huge contribution to science. New islands were discovered, but a number of nonexistent islands were erased from the ocean map. Systematic research in the ocean was first launched. The expedition discovered the Passat countercurrents in the Pacific and Atlantic oceans, measured the temperature of the water, its salinity, determined the density of the water ... The reasons for the glow of the sea were clarified, data were collected on the tides and ebb and weather components in different parts of the World Ocean.
Significant refinements were made to the map of the Russian Far East: parts of the coast of the Kuril Islands, Sakhalin, the Kamchatka Peninsula. For the first time, some of the Japanese islands are applied to it.
The members of this expedition became those of the Russians who were the first to travel around the world.
But for most Russians this expedition is known for the fact that the first Russian mission headed by Rezanov went to Japan on the Nadezhda.
Great second (interesting facts)
The Englishman
Francis Drake became the second person to travel around the world in 1577-1580. His galleon "Golden Doe" for the first time passed from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Stormy Strait, later named after him. This route is considered to be much more complicated than through
the Strait of
Magellan because of constant storms, floating ice, and sudden changes in weather. Drake became the first person to travel around the world, circling Cape Horn. Since then, among the sailors, a tradition has begun to wear an earring in the ear. If
the Drake Channel passed
, leaving Cape Horn on the right, then the earring should have been in the right ear, and vice versa.
For his services, Francis Drake was knighted personally by Queen Elizabeth. It is to him that the Spaniards owe the rout of their "Invincible Armada."
In 1766, Frenchwoman Jeanne Barre became the first woman to sail around the world. To do this, she changed into a man and got on the ship of Bougainville, who went on a world expedition, as a servant. When the deception was revealed, despite all its merits, Barre was landed in Mauritius and returned home on another ship.
The second Russian round-the-world expedition led by F.F. Bellingshausen and M.P. Lazareva is famous for the fact that in January 1820 Antarctica was discovered during it.