Ferdinand Magellan was a Portuguese explorer who led the first expedition to circumnavigate the globe from 1519-1522. Representing Spain, Magellan sailed from Spain with 240 men in 5 ships in September 1519. After finding the passage between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans now known as the Strait of Magellan, Magellan reached the Philippines where he was killed in 1521. Only 18 of the original crew survived the journey, proving that it was possible to sail from Spain to Asia by traveling around South America and across the Pacific Ocean.