(1480-1521) Magellan was a Portuguese navigator who headed the first fleet to circumnavigate the globe. He was motivated by a belief that there was a way through or around the Americas to the East Indies. Sailing for King Charles of Spain, he crossed the Atlantic, landing on the coast of Brazil. Eventually he would find the straits through the mainland that now bear Magellan's name. Crossing the Pacific in 1521, he reached Guam and then the Philippines. With this, he had at last succeeded in reaching the East by sailing westward. After establishing ties with a local chief, he was killed in a skirmish defending the chief's interests. One of his ships did return to Spain, however, having sailed around the world.
