Today is the four hundred ninetieth anniversary of the first successful circumnavigation of the world. That first time, it took three years, but today we can circumnavigate the world in many different ways, and when we’re not taking time to explore, the journey goes much faster. The current record is just over six weeks.
The name “Magellan” is now synonymous with exploration and discovery. Those of us in America know more about Columbus, but really, neither of them made it to their eventual destination. Columbus bumped into some continents and decided to stay when he saw profit there, and Magellan was killed when he became involved in some local conflicts in the Philippines.
When the (quite aptly named) Victoria limped into the harbor 490 years ago, the only one to return of the five ships that set out, it contained a mere thirteen percent of those who had originally set sail on board. The voyage was a success, if only because a westward route to India had been found, and because the ship’s hold was full of spices.
The most interesting thing that was discovered because of this voyage was not just the size of the earth but the need for an international date line. The ship’s date book had been very meticulously kept, and the fact that they were a day behind when they returned was astonishing.
“The Age of Discovery” is a very interesting time in world history to study. The thing we have to remember, though, is that we’re still in an age of discovery; we’re just exploring and learning different things.
I wonder how they’ll look back on this day in history 490 years from now.
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