#OnThisDay in 1519, the Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan sailed with about 270 men on his expedition to the East Indies, which achieved the first recorded circumnavigation of Earth by a Westerner in history.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magellan_expedition

For more fun facts like this, follow @wikipediaOTD!

#OTD #history

Magellan expedition - Wikipedia

@stefan @wikipediaOTD

*Zheng He has entered the chat*

You might want to amend that by saying "the first recorded circumnavigation by a westerner"

@jpthuot03 Ah, done, thank you! History is hard!
@stefan It *is* hard, and of course it's hard to know if the Chinese actually did a full circumnavigation but they sure had some incredible maps of the world that predate Magellan by a good few years!

@jpthuot03

#History #Circumnavigation
#Sailing #Exploer

(1/2)

I know that the Asian fleets were active centuries before the European explores set sail (apart from the #Vikings, ca. year 1000 1)) One example is Admiral #ZhengHe, who made several voyages, but "only" reached #EastAfrica in the early 15th century during the #MingDynasty. 2)

Then, OFC, there were Indian, #Arab, and #Chinese merchant vessels. 2)

I...

1)
https://muse.jhu.edu/article/783133

@stefan @wikipediaOTD

Project MUSE - <i>The Year 1000: When Explorers Connected the World – and Globalization Began</i> by Valerie Hansen (review)

@jpthuot03 @stefan @wikipediaOTD
History #Circumnavigation
#Sailing #Exploer

(2/2)

... haven't read the referenced book but, so which people from Asia circumnavigated the globe before the medieval Eureans sailed?

2) https://www.thecollector.com/zheng-he-seven-voyages/
@stefan @wikipediaOTD

The Seven Voyages of Zheng He: When China Ruled the Seas | TheCollector

In the early 15th century, admiral Zheng He embarked on seven epic voyages, spreading the prestige and influence of Ming China across Southeast Asia, India, Arabia, and even East Africa.

TheCollector

@HistoPol @stefan @wikipediaOTD

I stand corrected. I understood Zheng He and his mapmakers to have made a map of all the continents, thus implying a circumnavigation.

Thanks for this link, it's fascinating!

@jpthuot03

#History

Very true.
I once saw a documentary about this ancient #Chinese fleet years ago. It had animations and was really good.
@stefan @wikipediaOTD