The Revolution of Magellan

In 1492, Columbus stumbled across the Americas while looking for an eastern route to Asia. Thirty years later, Magellan succeeded where Columbus had failed. The three-year voyage was gruelling, as the lives of Magellan and two-thirds of the crew were lost, together with four of the fleet's five ships. However, in one fell swoop the expedition accomplished three of the most groundbreaking achievements to date: the discovery of a passage between the Atlantic and the Pacific; the first crossing of the Pacific; and the first circumnavigation of the globe. Taking advantage of the latest academic research, The Science of Magellan takes us through this journey and the 500-year-old naval science that made it possible, which was as advanced then as rocket science is today. The book also explores how these same ships underpinned the European expansion that followed, which shaped many of today's borders and led to the death and enslavement of millions.