Ferdinand Magellen

Ferdinand Magellan was born in Portugal in 1480. Magellan disagreed with the Portugese government so he decided to not sail for Portugal but to sail for Spain instead. He asked the king of Spain for some money and a boat so that he could trade with India. the King of Spain agreed but stipulated that Magellan would need to find a new trade route as the Portugese controlled the way around Africa.

So Magellan hopped in his boat, The Victoria with his crew and set sail on the Atlantic Ocean. They sailed south west along the eastern coast of South America and then through the Magellan Strait at the bottom of the continent. As they emerged out of the rough strait and into calmer waters, Magellan named it The Pacific Ocean or "Peaceful Waters."

Magellan proved that if you go west you will eventually end up in India. Sadly Magellan was killed during a tribal battle in the Phillipines, but luckily his crew and his boat continued the voyage and were the first to circumnavigate the globe.