Link back the Balestino Home page

An Explorer's Fortune


Once upon a time in the 16th century, a young man left his home in Portugal. He wanted to sail on the sea but he didn't know how to navigate. He tried first to be a sailor but wished he could go out on his own. Back then navigating was hard to learn but he knew he could do it. The young man's name was Ferdinand Magellan. Ferdinand loved to explore so he joined a ship heading for a new land. The new land was later called Magellan Island. On the ship, Ferdinand hoisted ropes, cooked meals, scrubbed floors, and watched for land. One day Ferdinand yelled that he saw land. No one believed him until they looked too. They yelled so loud that it seemed like the world was going to break. They had found Falkland Island, but they called it Magellan's Island. They did not stop there. They kept going. It started to get colder. Finally they turned around and headed back to Spain where they came from. Queen Ysabella was very disappointed and gave Ferdinand a few ships and two hundred fifty men. She told him to try and find the passage that everyone had been talking about. Ferdinand said he would try as best he could. He started off in September of 1519. Some men planned mutiny and turned around but Ferdinand didn't care. He found the passage and called it the Strait of Magellan. It was getting colder like the last time so they ate penguins. They continued their journey only stopping for food and trading for spices. Ferdinand died in the Philippines. Two ships returned in July of 1522.








Balestino.com Copyright 2007 sponsor Canon ImageRunner Series Printer Cartridge