Today in History: Straits of Magellan

Exquisita & magno aliquot mensium periculo lustrata et iam retecta Freti Magellanici facies
Today in History–November 28–the Library of Congress features the Straits of Magellan. On this day in 1520, three ships under the command of Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan sailed into the “Sea of the South”. The fleet reached the island of Guam just four months later thanks to a remarkably smooth voyage that led the explorers to name the ocean the “Pacific.” Learn more about the man, the voyage, and this area of the world by visiting the Today in History section, and clicking the links below.

Magellan image set

Magellan related books

Straits of Magellan maps

More Straits of Magellan maps & other primary sources from World Digital Library

Straits of Magellan historical front-page newspaper articles

The First Circumnavigation of the Globe (background)