About the book: 2014 / Gagarin, Lindbergh, Magellan... what unites these names? They were the first! Gagarin was the first to fly around our planet in a spaceship, Lindbergh was the first to fly alone across the Atlantic Ocean in an airplane, Magellan's expedition was the first to circle the Earth by sea. Ferdinand Magellan (1480-1521), an outstanding Portuguese sailor, warrior and pioneer, proved in practice what was only timidly assumed before him: the Earth is round... The year 1492 was fateful for the history of the Iberian Peninsula. In January, the Emirate of Granada fell: the Reconquista, which had lasted eight centuries, ended. And on the third of August, the first expedition of Christopher Columbus set off to the shores of distant India - which would turn out to be America. This year, the court page of the Portuguese King João II (who rejected Columbus's project eight years earlier), Ferdinand de Magellan, turned 12 years old. Perhaps it was then that his ambitious dream of the Great Circumnavigation of the World was born. 13 years have passed. In 1505, Magellan travels to India. For seven years he fought at sea and on land, received the rank of captain for his bravery, served in Java, Sumatra, in Mozambique, upon returning to Portugal he fought again - he suppressed the uprising in Morocco... In 1517, he submitted to the successor of João II, King Manuel I, a project to reach the Moluccas islands by the western route, Magellan, like Columbus, is refused. And just like Columbus, he goes to Spain - to set off on his last voyage on September 20, 1519, on five small ships with 265 crew members. It is believed that he went for spices: another name for the Moluccan archipelago is the Spice Islands. Of course it was. But he also followed his dream. He will be killed on April 21, 1521. After another year and a half, the 18 surviving crew members of the only surviving ship, the Victoria, will return to Spain. Where they will be declared apostates - for celebrating church holidays on the wrong days (the Western route “ate” one day of the calendar). And the spices they brought will more than pay for the expenses of the expedition... The diary of Antonio Pigafetta, one of the surviving members of the expedition, is the basis for this publication. His account of this great and tragic expedition, supplemented by Stefan Zweig's brilliant biographical sketch of Magellan, is a gripping, dramatic and fascinating account of the extraordinary life and extraordinary exploits of the great Portuguese navigator. And yet Magellan did it! After his death, he proved that the Earth is round, that dreams are stronger than death, that the names of kings remain footnotes in the margins of history, which is written by pioneers. The electronic publication includes all the texts of the paper book about the unprecedented expedition of Ferdinand Magellan and basic illustrative material. But for true connoisseurs of exclusive publications, we offer a gift classic book. The publication is richly illustrated and is intended for everyone who is interested in the history of geographical discoveries and loves reliable stories about real adventures. This edition, like all books in the Great Journeys series, is printed on beautiful offset paper and elegantly designed. Editions of the series will adorn any, even the most sophisticated library, and will be a wonderful gift for both young readers and discerning bibliophiles..