All Around The World

It was exactly 500 years ago that Ferdinand Magellan set forth on a voyage that circumnavigated the Earth.  Why is this not getting more coverage?

September 20, 1519, he and his ships left Spain, headed for Rio de Janeiro.  Magellan was actually Portuguese, but King Manual 1 of Portugal wasn't interested, so the voyage was backed by Charles 1 of Spain.

There were many adventures along the way, and one ship (with plenty of spices) finally made it back to Spain on September 6, 1522.  The most dangerous adventure, if you want to call it that, was the Battle of Mactan in the Philippines.  Magellan had converted many locals to Christianity, but those on the island of Mactan didn't get with the program. Indeed, during the battle, Magellan was killed.

Though he had died, when his ship returned, his fame was secured.  Many things have been named after him since, though I think the best are the two dwarf galaxies known as the Magellanic Clouds.