Francis Drake was an English seafarer and vice-admiral who was the first British person to circumnavigate the globe. He was born in Devonshire, England and became a ship's boy at age 12. Drake led many expeditions, including attacking Spanish ports along the Pacific coast of South America in 1577 on behalf of Queen Elizabeth I. He explored the coast as far north as modern-day Vancouver. Drake died of dysentery in 1596 while on an expedition in the West Indies.